How to keep parasites out of your home – World Parasite Awareness Day

Celebrate World Parasite Awareness Day (20 March) by safeguarding your home and pets from harmful parasites with these practical tips.

Parasites are unwelcome guests in any home, posing risks to both your family’s health and your pets’ wellbeing. With South Africa’s warm climate creating ideal breeding grounds for pests like fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes, proactive prevention is key.

Here’s how to protect every corner of your home—from the garden to the kitchen—and ensure a safer, healthier space for everyone.

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Pets and their bedding

Your pet’s comfort is a priority, but their comfy bedding and outdoor adventures make them prime targets for parasites.

Fleas flourish in warm climates, nesting in the dense fur of dogs and cats or hiding in plush pet bedding.

These pests hitch rides indoors after pets explore gardens or interact with other animals. Ticks, meanwhile, lurk in grassy areas or bushveld vegetation, latching onto pets during walks. Once indoors, ticks can transmit serious illnesses like biliary in pets or tick bite fever in humans.

Intestinal parasites like roundworms, hookworms, and tapeworms also pose a threat. Pets often ingest roundworm eggs from contaminated soil or faeces, while hookworms penetrate the skin through contact with infected ground. Tapeworms, transmitted via fleas, thrive when pets groom themselves and accidentally swallow infected fleas. These worms drain nutrients, causing weight loss, anaemia, and even zoonotic transmission—roundworms, for example, can spread to children playing in contaminated soil.

What to do: Regular vet check-ups, including faecal tests and preventative treatments, are vital to break this cycle.

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Kitchens and pantries

The kitchen’s warmth and abundance of food attract pests that act as parasite carriers.

Cockroaches, drawn to crumbs and spills, scuttle across countertops and pantry shelves, leaving behind pathogens and parasite eggs like those of tapeworms. Flies, breeding in unsealed trash or rotting food, land on exposed meals and deposit roundworm eggs, posing a risk to anyone eating contaminated food. Rodents, enticed by poorly stored grains or pet food, can also invade kitchens. Their droppings may contain tapeworm larvae, which spread if accidentally ingested.

What to do: By sealing food, managing waste, and maintaining rigorous hygiene, you can starve these pests of their resources and curb parasite transmission.

Bathrooms

Bathrooms provide a damp space for pests that thrive in humidity. Drain flies, common in coastal regions like Durban or Cape Town, breed in the slimy biofilm inside pipes. While they don’t directly parasitise humans, their presence signals excess moisture, which can attract mould mites. These tiny pests feed on damp mould growing on shower curtains or grout, exacerbating allergies and respiratory issues.

What to do: Fixing leaks, improving ventilation, and regularly cleaning drains disrupts their lifecycle and reduces the risk of secondary infestations.

Bedding and upholstery

Soft furnishings like mattresses and couches harbour parasites that impact comfort and health. Dust mites, invisible to the naked eye, feast on dead skin cells shed by humans and pets. Moderate humidity levels create ideal conditions for these mites, which worsen asthma and allergies. Bed bugs, on the other hand, are stealthy hitchhikers. They sneak into homes via luggage, second-hand furniture, or guests, hiding in mattress seams or upholstery folds. Their bites cause itchy welts and sleepless nights, while infestations spread rapidly if untreated.

What to do: Washing bedding in hot water, vacuuming regularly, and inspecting second-hand items are key to keeping these pests at bay.

Gardens and outdoor spaces

Lush gardens and outdoor areas are breeding grounds for parasites that threaten both pets and people. Ticks hide in long grass or leafy shrubs, waiting to attach to passing hosts. Beyond causing skin irritation, they transmit life-threatening diseases like biliary in pets and tick-borne illnesses in humans. Fleas, often found in sandy soil or under garden debris, jump onto pets and invade homes.

What to do: Proactive measures—such as trimming grass, eliminating standing water, and using pet-safe pesticides—help disrupt these parasites’ habitats.

This World Parasite Awareness Day, take pride in protecting your home against parasites.

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Feature Image: Pexels