By Victor Anya
Regular fumigation is needed in our homes, offices, warehouses, factories, flower beds, gutters and bushes so as to destroy the multiple pests that endanger the human race. Fumigation is the use of chemical fumes or solution to treat something or a place to kill microorganisms or pests. It helps to get rid and control the various pests that are hazardous to human existence. It is indisputable that many of the diseases that are troubling humanity on planet earth presently are caused by the various pests that are in contest with human beings for the limited spaces available. At various times, many citizens of the world have had the cause to ask the purpose of having pests like cockroaches, mosquitoes, rats, flies, snakes, termites and other destructive pests around the world. What are the advantages of having pests in this world? A rhetorical question many have asked time without number.
The danger being posed to the human race by the various pests that are coexisting with man on earth are unquantifiable. For instance, malaria that is one of the great killers of people worldwide is transferred to man by the anopheles mosquito. According the World Health Organization, about 3.2 billion people are exposed to contracting malaria while over million people die yearly from malaria across the world. About 90 percent malaria cases occur in Africa as a result of dirtiness caused by acute poverty. Since Ross discovered the anopheles mosquito as the carrier of the malaria parasite in human beings, mosquito has remained a great threat to the health of humanity. Malaria is one of the deadliest diseases in Nigeria, killing an estimated 107,000 people in 2016 alone! Commenting on the importance of pest control, a representative of the World Health Organization who wished to remain anonymous said, “One of the most important reasons why pest control is needed is because of health. Cockroaches and other pests can also carry germs into their body. That should be your main concern when it comes to having pests in your home.”
Rats are other class of pests that pose a great threat to the existence of humanity. This is so because rats are the carriers of the Lassa virus that causes Lassa fever which is a very deadly disease to the health of humans. The species of rats that transmit the Lassa virus is known as Mastomys natalensis and it is common in the West African sub-region of Africa. This species of rats spread the Lassa virus by defecating and urinating on foods and if such foods are consumed by humans, they contract the virus. The outbreak of Lassa fever in a particular community can cause the deaths of large numbers of people if it is not contained within a reasonable time frame. For instance, the outbreak of the virus in some parts of Nigeria in 2018 caused the death of more than 300 people while the outbreak of the same virus in 2019 led to the death of about 400 people!
Pests like cockroaches and flies also constitute a great danger to humanity as they transmit one form of virus or the other to humans. For example, cockroaches spread Salmonella Typhi which causes Typhoid and Poliomylitis. Poliomylitis is the major cause of Polio. Annually, polio kills about 500,000 people especially children across the globe while typhoid affects 11-20 million and kills 161,000 worldwide every year according to the World Health Organization. Typhoid and polio are also responsible for diarrhea, according to health professionals. Diarrhea accounts for the death of about 2. 2 million people around the planet earth yearly. Termites destroy valuables like books, furniture, clothes and wood used in roofing our homes. Whenever this happens, huge sums of money are wasted.
Snakes are among the deadly pests we have around our homes especially homes in villages surrounded by bushes. Though, snakes are not supposed to be found around homes in urban areas but they are sometimes seen around and in our homes because of bushes in uncompleted buildings. Snakes crawl into our homes via the sewers that connect our toilets to the cesspits and gutters. With these connections, snakes sometimes crawl into our toilets via the drains that link the soak away or cesspools. There are reports of unfortunate people who have been bitten by snakes while using their toilets. This is why it is imperative for everyone to see inside their toilet before they sit on it to use it. Since snakes are venomous, once they bite somebody, if immediate medication is not taken, it could be very deadly. Snake bite account for a number of deaths across the world yearly.
As already mentioned above, the damage which pests cause humanity from time to time is unimaginable. But these damages can be mitigated if simple preventive measures are put in place. A popular maxim says “prevention is better than cure.” Fumigation is one of the potent measures that can help to avert some diseases that are transmitted to human beings by pests. To this end, there is need to fumigate our homes, offices, warehouses, factories and the bushes around us regularly. Routine fumigation of the places stated above will help to eliminate the pests around us or at least keep them away from us. Fumigation will help prevent the diseases being spread by the various pests mentioned above from getting close to us or near our dwelling places.
For instance, a three bedroom apartment in highbrow areas like Lekki Phase One & Two, Parkview, Foreshore, Dolphin Estate, can be fumigated at the cost of forty thousand naira (N40,000), a duplex would cost about sixty thousand (N60,000). Areas like Apapa, Opebi, Allen Avenue, Awuse Estate, Magodo Phase One and Two, Omole Phase One and Two etc, the fumigation of a three bedroom apartment would go for thirty thousand (N30,000) while a duplex would cost forty thousand naira (N40,000). These prices are not cast in stones as they can be negotiated or reviewed downward depending on the negotiating power of the customer who wants to hire the services of a fumigator. From the above findings, it is obvious that the cost of fumigation is basically on the very low side. Therefore, everyone can afford the cost of fumigation. Fumigation of our homes, offices, warehouses, factories and bushes can be done monthly, bimonthly, quarterly or biyearly-all depending on one’s priority, interest and the size of one’s income.
The destructive nature of pests is so huge hence there is need for routine fumigation of our environments. This is why everyone that wants pests-free environment and also wishes to enjoy good health, should as a matter of urgency, begin to fumigate their homes regularly. It is interesting to note that fumigation is not too exorbitant to carry out. This is so because there are many firms and individuals that render the services of fumigation across the country. With the availability of firms and individuals that render fumigation services, the cost of fumigation is also relatively on the low side. To this end, everybody and firm that considers a pest-free environment as a necessity, can easily afford the cost of fumigation.
Frankly speaking, it is much cheaper to prevent diseases through the application of fumigation than getting infected by viruses caused by pests and spending huge sums of money and time in medication. It is true that one may have all the money to spend for treatment but there is no guarantee that one will be able to survive such ailments if they are not prevented from happening. For the aforementioned reasons, it is necessary that we embark on routine fumigation of our homes, offices, warehouses, factories and bushes so as to keep dangerous pests from our reach. The cost of fumigating our environments to keep them free from dangerous pests is much cheaper when compared with the cost of medications after being infected by viruses and diseases. Therefore, fumigate your environment to keep them free from pests because prevention is better than cure.