Unless you've been vacationing on the moon for the past several months, you are no doubt aware of the world heath situation we all dealing with in one way or another. And for many of us, we have never come face to face with these circumstances in our entire lifetimes.
Today we find our cities, towns, and neighbors with sickness outbreaks.......when you hear friends coughing uncontrollably, that's when you know this matter is very real and life is demanding that you develop an action plan based on the best science we have at this moment.
You know the drill........wash your hands well and often, cough into your elbow and remember the most insidious aspect of the current transmission routes is the abnormally long infectious lifespan the virus exhibits on surfaces where virus-laden particles have landed. In my opinion, wearing protective gloves and not touching your face will provide important protection for you. The main benefit of wearing a simple layered mask is to keep you from touching your face....that's all. If you are coughing, the best for you and the most considerate option regarding others is for you to stay out of contact with others. Period.
Further, social interaction modifications are in order as well........no handshakes, kissing or close hugging.........and staying away from groups of people will serve you well, too.
Now, there is a lot of constantly updated information you can access to help form your own decisions regarding how you and your family want to proceed. The way events play out from now until the end of May 2020 will largely determine our paths from that time forward.
The overarching concern for the residents of our country is for hospitals to have the bed capacity to treat those whose condition warrants critical hospital care. One way for us to help accomplish that objective is to slow the spread of COVID-19.......I believe we are beyond the point of infection to be able to stop or effectively contain this new coronavirus.
However, in the face of everything I want to bring assurances to you.........for pest control professionals have acknowledged the direct or transmitted health risks of this profession for as long as we have been called professionals.
Rabies mortality rate: Virtually 100%. This means if you get it.........you die.
Hantavirus mortality rate: About 37%. The State of Washington conducted testing of over 1000 deer mice for hantavirus and found 14% tested positive. North and East of Seattle is deer mice heaven........and humans can get the disease simply by inhaling infectious airborne body output particles. Washington remains in the top group of states experiencing hantavirus cases.
Anaphylactic shock: Your body's overproduction of histamine in an allergic response to certain venom compounds from stinging insects causes the smallest areas of your lungs to swell and to inhibit the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Specific foods, medications, and latex have been known to cause the same response, too. While many thousands of people die from insect stings every year, I brave hundreds and hundreds of colony extermination and removal projects every summer.
Rats: Heaven knows the wide range of bugs and diseases these rodents can carry, and it's a wonder pest control professionals aren't dropping over with severe illnesses every day. The filth I encounter inside homes with rats is sometimes unbelievable.......and such conditions can sometimes cause airborne allergens to cause consequential health effects on susceptible home inhabitants as well.
Raccoon roundworm: Virtually every raccoon carries this parasite........and it can be vectored to humans rather easily. It does not stay in our gut as it does in raccoons, but rather, exits and often makes its way to your eye retina where it is most often discovered in adults. And in cases involving children, can make its way into the spinal cord and up into the brain. Those of us who manage wildlife face these dangers constantly.
Dog bites, ladder falls, chemical reactions, broken bones, electric shock, and severely pulled muscles.......I've suffered them all.
Candidly I must admit that initially, I became very concerned for my own health prospects because I'm in a high-risk age category for death from this coronavirus.
What was I going to do to weather this initial onslaught of disease transmission.........then after a Microsoft employee client reminded me of the no handshake practice, my perspective began rapidly evolving to encompass both safely and reliably serving my customers, and keeping myself safe at the same time.
I have secured ample supplies of nitrile gloves, and 99.97% effective particulate filters for my professional face masks I would normally wear in environments hostile to me. But now, I will be wearing this breathing protection full time while at customers' homes and will bravely appear on doorsteps already fitted with gloves, too.
This way I can continue to be your knight in shining armor, addressing your pest control concerns and keeping you......and me........ as safe as possible from undetected disease transmission.
I hope to be expertly serving you for a long, long time to come.......I will be here for you.
Take care..........Trey
***** Please read this special message from the National Pest Management Association *****
Dear Client
The professional pest control industry, an essential service, is responsible for the protection of public health, food, and property. We play a vital role in protecting our nation's public health and food supply.
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