The Government has issued clear advice to all Health Authorities on how to ensure adequate pest control standards. Despite this, pest control in hospitals is still not being given the priority it deserves and regrettably many hospitals have serious pest infestations. A survey carried out by the Nursing Mirror in August 1985 revealed that over 88% of NHS hospitals had cockroach infestations and 52% had rodent infestations. Work by Edwards and Baker in 1981 and published in the Journal of Hospital Infection found that 11.6% of NHS hospitals were infested with the tropical ant Monomorium pharaonis. A report published by the British Pest Control Association in August 1985 contained numerous case histories of pest infestations in hospitals and blames indifference, poor management, false economy, obstructions, ignorance, bad organization and lack of training within the NHS for the failure of pest control in UK hospitals.