printable version

Pest Problems are not Child's Play

While anyone can have a close encounter of the unpleasant kind with insects or other pests, the natural curiosity of children gets them into trouble most often. Whether children are crawling through grass or climbing in cabinets, cockroaches, fleas, ticks or rodents may end up an unwitting part of the exploration.

"Children, just by nature of their size, are very vulnerable to stinging and biting," says Dr. Jerome Goddard, clinical assistant professor of preventive medicine, University of Mississippi Medical School. "Children are also most vulnerable to vector-borne diseases (carried by insects) because their immune systems are still developing. Since they have not been exposed to much, reactions can be more severe than with adults."

Health risks to children in the inner cities where dust mites and cockroaches often thrive have recently been recognized. "We are seeing a higher rate of asthma among inner city children because of allergies triggered by cockroaches and house dust mites," says Goddard.

Dr. Phil Koehler, entomology professor, University of Florida, has found the highest incidence of allergy problems is associated with cockroaches. Because of that finding, Florida state officials are seeking ways to improve indoor air quality.

"Children with allergies in inner city settings have three times the hospitalization rate as other children," he says. "If they're hospitalized or sick, they're not in school."

Other insect-related diseases and illness are increasing as well. Goddard reports a rise in the number of tick and mosquito-borne diseases, and concerns about head lice are reaching epidemic proportions in some areas.

"Children are most susceptible to head lice merely because of a child's playful behavior and personal contact," says Koehler. "The reason we are seeing lice epidemics is because the lice have gradually become resistant to over-the-counter treatments."

Koehler notes the lack of any new product chemistries in the last 15-20 years has allowed lice to become resistant to the one pesticide that is most often used to treat head lice. "This is a good example of why we need a good registration process to bring new products to market and then use them judiciously," he says.

Likewise, a sound pesticide registration system means new products to curb insect-related health problems must be proven safe before they are made available to the public. "Consumers need to know that someone can't just mix up chemicals and sell them as pesticides," says Goddard. "Products go through a rigorous process before they are approved for use."

While confining children's curiosity may be a sure-fire solution to preventing pest-related health problems, experts say the best solution is to control known and existing pests. "As long as consumers follow label directions, the benefits of judicious pesticide use far outweigh any risks," says Goddard.