Friday 21 August 2015

4 Common Diseases Pigeons Carry

Pigeons are seen everywhere in the UK and many people assume that they are fairly harmless. Whilst they’re certainly not aggressive, they can certainly be a problem when grouping and nesting where they’re not wanted.

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In addition to making a property look unsightly, they also carry diseases, which can very easily be spread through their droppings. Below are 4 of the most common diseases that pigeons are known to carry.

1. Viral Encephalitis

Also known as West Nile virus, Viral Encephalitis can be very dangerous when spread to humans and can cause nervous system damage and even death. The way it is transmitted to humans is through mosquito bites. The mosquito will bite an infected bird and then transmit the disease when it bites a person.

Luckily mosquitos are very rare in the UK so the chances of contracting the virus in this way are extremely low. However you should always be aware of this when travelling abroad to countries where mosquitos are commonplace.

2. E Coli

E Coli is often associated with undercooked meat but it’s just as likely that you’ll contract it by coming into contact with pigeon droppings. To help avoid this risk of getting E Coli, you should make sure that your wash your hands thoroughly whenever you’ve spent time in an environment where there was a lot of pigeons around.

3. Salmonella

Salmonella is another illness that’s commonly linked with food but can also be spread by pigeons. Along with Listeria, Salmonella is a very dangerous to people, especially pregnant women, so you should always ensure that you practice a high degree of cleanliness when you’ve been around pigeons in any setting.

4. Cryptococcal Meningitis

This form of pigeon-borne meningitis is extremely dangerous to people and can easily result in severe consequences such as blindness and death.

Getting rid of pigeons

Now that you’re aware of the types of diseases that pigeons can carry, you’ll almost certainly want to ensure that you don’t have any grouping or nesting on your property. Pigeon infestations are very common in the UK, especially in large cities, but luckily there are effective solutions available to get rid of them and make sure they don’t appear again.

It’s important to note that even if you think of pigeons as being vermin, it’s still not a good idea to kill or harm them in any way. This is because they’re a protected species in the UK, which means causing them harm could land you in a lot of trouble if you’re caught.

Thankfully, there are means of getting rid of pigeons without resorting to violence. Bird netting is one of the most common pigeon control solutions and works by making it impossible for any type of bird from being able to land and perch where it’s placed.

Bird netting can be installed by any good bird control company and will provide you with a long-lasting solution to keep your property completely free of pigeons or any other type of birds, such as seagulls.

About the Author:

Katie has a strong interest in bird control like Total bird control. Her articles cover subjects such as the most common diseases that pigeons carry.

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