| The shift from rural to urban living conditions, coupled with growing housing demand, has led to the construction of substandard, unfinished buildings. These structures provide undesirable ecological niches for synanthropic wildlife and their ectoparasites, including Argas spp. Poultry or fowl ticks nest in the skeletons of high-rise buildings, abandoned villas, and stalled construction projects, and feed on hosts such as feral pigeons. When birds abandon their nests during prolonged construction delays, the ticks enter a dormant, starvation-induced state and may remain in the building infrastructure for years. After project completion and the onset of human habitation, hungry ticks emerge to feed on new residents, causing a range of health problems, including severe pruritus, papular dermatitis, respiratory illnesses, secondary infections, and potential transmission of zoonotic pathogens to new hosts. This neglected crisis reflects systemic failures in construction oversight, persistent project delays, and vague accountability. Preventive urban health management strategies should integrate pest risk assessments into building permit processes, implement structural measures to deter bird colonization, train healthcare professionals to recognize tick-borne dermatoses, and launch public education campaigns. Without these coordinated and proactive interventions, these abandoned structures will continue to contribute to an urban public health issue, with escalating physical, psychological, and economic costs |
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