Hospitals & other Healthcare facilities

Keeping Hospitals free of pests

Healthcare - Sanitation and freedom from pests are essential

Pest control has an important role in preventing secondary infections and outbreaks of vector-borne diseases, such as Cholera and Chikungunya, in hospitals, surgeries and nursing homes.

By their nature, hospitals are busy places and it is difficult to prevent rodents, ants, flies, cockroaches and other insects from entering the building and thriving with the food and warmth they can find there.

These pests are a serious threat in every environment, but in primary healthcare, the risk of cross-contamination is acute.

Common Pests in Hospitals & Healthcare facilities

Hospitals require higher levels of hygiene than most other facilities. The presence of pests in a hospital can cause the spread of dangerous diseases. More so, considering that people with weakened immune systems are more susceptible even to less harmful diseases. The following pests are a common threat in most hospitals.

Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus)
  • Rodents: Rodents' sharp teeth can gnaw through cables, plastic, wooden doors and even mild steel. Rats and mice can cause short circuits and fires, when they chew cables and insulation. Rodents transmit a variety of diseases, such as Leptospirosis and Salmonella infections. In addition to this rodents in hospitals cause significant contamination with droppings and urine.
Oriental Cockroach (Blatta orientalis)
  • Cockroaches: The close association with filth makes cockroaches potential transmitters of a plethora of diseases, such as dysentery, salmonella, cholera and tuberculosis. The risk of secondary infections in a hospital increases exponentially in the presence of cockroaches.
Pharaoh's Ant (Monomorium pharaonis), a common pest in hospitals
  • Ants: Various studies have reputed that ants, especially in hospitals, are potential mechanical vector of diseases by carrying bacteria such as Pseudomonas and Salmonella. This comes from their habit of feeding on a wide variety of food, such as soiled linen, excrement and septic dressings.
Aedes mosquito, a transmitter of Dengue and Chikungunya
  • Mosquitoes: The weakened immune systems of most patients in a hospital and other healthcare facilities, increases the risk of fatalities through Malaria, Dengue and other mosquito transmitted diseases. Diseases, like Chikungunya, where mosquitoes spread the disease from infected to healthy persons, can easily go out of control in hospitals.
Bedbug (Cimex hemipterus)
  • Bed Bugs: Bed Bugs are a common pest in hospitals, because of the busy nature of hospitals and other healthcare facilities. The good news is that they are not known to transmit any diseases. However, they do cause irritation to patients.
House Fly (Musca domestica), a common transmitter of Typhoid, Dysentery and Cholera
  • Flies: The mobility of flies coupled with their potential to spread pathogens and bacteria, makes them a high risk pest in hospitals. The larvae of some fly species are known to infest human flesh through open wounds causing myasis.

Rentokil Pest Control for Hospitals & Healthcare facilities

As the leading expert in pest control, Rentokil has the expertise to deliver the highest level of reassurance against pests while being sensitive to the special needs of working in a healthcare or hospital environment. Our pest control technicians are trained to maintain the highest standards in hygiene to avoid cross-contamination and they will only use products that are appropriate for a hospital's environment. In particular, Rentokil’s range of non-toxic treatments can be used in high-sensitivity areas where traditional toxic products and insecticides would be inappropriate.

Rentokil Pest Control has been working with hospital trusts and other healthcare providers for many years to anticipate and prevent potential pest risks. Our approach is to develop a resilient cordon around the perimeter of healthcare facilities, use bait stations in higher risk areas and monitor and respond to any signs of incursion.

If there is a problem, our rapid response commitment will mean that our service technician will be with you quickly and deal with the pest. They will identify the root cause of the infestation and will advise on how to ensure that the problem will not come back.

To find out more about how we can deal with any pest problem or prevent them occurring in your hospital, clinic or nursing home, please call us on 1800 102 9888  or contact us to arrange a visit by a key account manager who understands the pest control needs of healthcare facilities and hospitals.

Got a specific pest problem? See the Pest Problems section for information and solutions.