Tulane Study Finds Cockroach Bait Helps Alleviate Asthma Symptoms

A Tulane University study finds the use of cockroach bait can eliminate enough pests in a home to reduce a child with moderate to severe asthma symptoms by nearly 50 days. Lead study author and Tulane University Public Health and Tropical Medicine Epidemiologist Felicia Rabito says the roaches eat the bait then go back to die.

“So you reduce the number of cockroaches in the home and therefore you reduce the amount of exposure. And it’s the exposure to the cock roaches that’s causing the illness in the children.”

Asthma suffers can be highly sensitive to cockroach saliva, skin and droppings. Rabito says the study monitored 102 low income families where children were diagnosed with asthma. She says the bait was placed in slightly over half of the homes and checked about every two months.

“We did see a significant difference in the number of cockroaches and in the health of the children who were randomized to receive the cockroach bait in their homes.”

The study also found the number of unscheduled doctor visits was 17% lower in the group who had bait placed in their homes. Rabito says research has shown that cockroaches are directly related to asthma illness so…