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Archive for December, 2010
The Plague of Fleas
The Oriental Rat Flea is a parasite of rodents and is the primary carrier for the bubonic plague and murine typhus. We all know this parasite from the most famous pandemics in history, the Black Plague. This is caused when a flea feeds on an affected rodent and then feeds on a human.
Unfortunately a small outbreak has hit the northern Ugandan district of Kitgum recently; The CDC of Atlanta has confirmed it to be pneumonic plague and people are being infected by plague carrying fleas. In rare cases, you may get the disease when handling infected animals.
Certain forms of the plague can be spread from human to human. When someone with pneumonic plague coughs, microscopic droplets carrying the infection move through the air. Anyone who breathes in these particles may catch the disease. An epidemic may be started this way.
Plagues are rare in the United States, but have had small outbreaks in part of Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.
How do people contact the disease?
-Bites from an infected flea
-Direct contact from tissue or fluids from an infected host.
-Inhaling infectious airborne droplets from persons or animals, especially cats the contain pneumonia plague.What are the signs symptoms of plague?
Bubonic plague symptoms appear suddenly, usually after 2 – 5 days after exposure to the bacteria.
-Chills
-Malaise
-High fever
-Muscle Pain
-Severe headache
-Seizures
-Painful lymph gland swelling (commonly found in the neck, armpits and groin) Close to bite or scratch area.
Pneumonic plague appears suddenly, typically 2 -3 days after exposure.
-Difficulty breathing
-Frothy, bloody sputum
-Severe cough
Septicemia plague may cause death even before symptoms occur.
-Abdominal pain
-Bleeding due to blood clotting problems
-Diarrhea
-Fever
-Low Blood Pressure
-Nauseas
-Organ failure
-VomitingBed Bugs Spread Holiday Joy
The thought of your home being invaded by bed bugs this Christmas season it disturbing. The invasion of bed bugs has everyone concerned about potentially hosting this up close and personnel bug. I truly mean it when I say up close and personnel. This Christmas season is a perfect time for these pests to suck the joy out of family and friends. We do know that bed bugs are really good hitchhikers and travelers; we have seen them in Victoria’s Secret stores, hotels, restaurants, schools and even movie theaters. This epidemic effects people, homes and your bank accounts; unfortunately treating for bed bugs in not cheap. Here is a post to help you stay vigilant against the Scrooges of Christmas.
1. For Guest Staying in Hotels.
The first thing you need to do when staying in a hotel is drop your luggage in the tub before you start the inspection. It can take approximately 15 minutes to inspect a small room. Have your handy LED flashlight in hand and start with the bed. My flashlight of choice is the Duracell Daylight. Lift the sheets and inspect all around the seam of the mattress and look for brown fecal matter or blood stains. Do the same with the box spring, just move the mattress a give yourself a good visual of the box spring seam and repeat the inspection. Inspect the headboard and night stands, we know that bed bugs love dark tight spots, so corners and trim work on the furniture is a great spot for nesting bed bugs. Once again fecal matter is really the only good sign you need to determine that the room had or has bed bugs.
Bedbug Treatment Contaminates School
In an attempt to combat a bedbug crisis in a Brooklyn, New York elementary school, the Department of Education (DOE) paid a private contractor “professional” almost $100,000 to exterminate the bedbug crisis in the rooms children stay in all day. Now I have never had $100,000 job, I do welcome any job that would pay that. A job that is high profile like this will either make you or break you as a business. What do you think this “professional” did? According to teachers, the “professional” left the classrooms soaked with a liquid bed bug killing chemical. An odorous fluid saturated the classrooms; kid’s desks, chairs, bookshelves and floor. ABC 7 Online reports the unknown pesticide substance had to be tested, it took over two weeks before teachers and parents found out what their children where exposed to. Is it not common practice to provide information and educate everyone involved? You know, so situations like these won’t arrive. The teacher’s union estimates that cleaning up the classroom will cost over twice what was paid, and the DOE plans to bill the contractor and stop the company from future business in the city, according to the news report. Now I have no clue if the DOE did its part, but someone really screwed up.
Are cockroaches a health risk?
Yes. Cockroaches can spread approximately 33 kinds of bacteria, 6 kinds of parasitic worms and 7 other human pathogens. They pick up all kinds of germs on the spines of their legs. From bathroom floors, rodent nesting areas and sewage, places where they walk through is unlimited. Germs that roaches eat from decaying matter or sewage (yes decaying and sewage) will remain in/on them longer. It’s unknown why germs can last longer on an affected roach then germs that are exposed to cleaning agents or natural elements. Just think about the journey they made before they walked across your counter tops, cooking surfaces and food. Many clients are sicken when I tell them the coffee grounds left on the counter tops is actually roach droppings, it gets worse when they just scoop the droppings into their hands all these years.
There are about 4,000 different named species of cockroaches in the world. The habits and high reproductive rate of roaches will lead to populations which will spread diseases and cause allergies that will unfortunately trigger asthma. There are 69 species in the U.S, only 20 species cause problems in homes and businesses. Out of the 20 the U.S. deals with, 4 of them cause major and significant problems in our home and families. Here in Atlanta, GA we deal with 5 different species and the worst part is we deal with the big 4. These are the German, American, Brown Banded and Oriental cockroaches; in order of importance. When clients in Atlanta call for natural pest control or green pest control service, it’s always the top 2 roaches that they are dealing with; the German and American roach.
