No more cockroaches spotted at Saanich Peninsula Hospital

Island Health says a cockroach infestation at Saanich Peninsula Hospital seems to be over.

German cockroaches were discovered in the hospital this month, but none have been spotted since April 22 after a pestcontrol company was hired to set traps to get rid of the insects, the health authority said.

“These bugs do not bite and do not transmit disease,” it said in a statement on Tuesday.

It said a pest-control contractor was immediately contacted after the roaches were discovered, and continues to visit the hospital twice a week to monitor traps.

Staff at the hospital have been asked to record sightings, Island Health said. None of the cockroaches have been found over the past week, but the authority said pest-control measures will continue.

“We have established protocols to respond whenever insects are discovered in our health-care facilities,” said the statement, adding measures include traps and enhanced cleaning.

Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands, said the province has to do more to maintain and improve the only hospital on the Saanich Peninsula.

He said every year residents help to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to keep the facility updated.

“The hospital needs major capital upgrades, and the emergency room is now closed overnight indefinitely,” Olsen said in a statement Tuesday.

“We need Minister of Health Adrian Dix and Island Health to match the commitment of Saanich Peninsula residents.”

He said cockroaches in the hospital “is just further evidence of the need for a much greater investment by the ministry and health authority.”

“With a $36-billion health-care budget, it is time for the minister and health authority to invest in the capital and operational needs of the Saanich Peninsula Hospital,” said Olsen.

German cockroaches are small — typically about 1.1 to 1.6 centimetres long — and vary in colour from tan to almost black.

Health Canada said the German cockroach is one of the most common household cockroaches in the world, and can often be found living in restaurants, foodprocessing facilities and nursing homes.

The federal agency said cockroaches rarely cause structural damage, but can contaminate food and spread disease by walking over, and excreting on, food or food preparation areas after having travelled through garbage and/or sewers.

The agency added people with asthma may react to the bugs’ droppings and body parts.