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Public Health

Public Health is one of the most complex areas for governments to deliver to its citizens. However, by focusing on the fundamentals of disease control and prevention, it is possible to deliver significant and sustainable improvements in life expectancy and quality of life.

Infectious diseases can be spread by

• person-to-person contact
• contaminated drinking water
• contaminated food
• contact with animals (vectors such as mosquitoes, rodents or livestock)

The role of Pest Control in public health is to prevent the spread of disease spread by animal vectors, but in doing so it also has a significant benefit in preventing the contamination of food and drink by pests.

The principal pests that have a major impact on public health include

• mosquitoes (risks include malaria, dengue fever and yellow fever)
• rats (leptospirosis, cryptosporidiosis, hepatitis E and many parasites)
• cockroaches (various food poisons such as E coli and faecal allergens)
• the housefly (food poisons, typhoid, dysentery and cholera)

In different parts of the world, other pests have a significant role in the spread of vector borne diseases and the impact they have on public health.

Rentokil is the world’s leading provider of pest control services to governments and NGOs. We develop vector control programmes that have an immediate impact on pest numbers and then work with government agencies to train local people to deliver the benefits of pest control over the longer term.

For further information about the role of Rentokil Pest Control in Public Health please email our Business Development Director at publichealth@rentokil.com

Interesting links

WHO – World Health Organisation

RSPH – Royal Society for Public Health