INFORMATION ALERT: “Don’t let the bed bugs bite!”
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently issued a joint statement warning communities throughout the United States about the emerging public health issues related to bed bugs.
The US is one of many countries experiencing an alarming resurgence of bed bugs. The exact cause is not known but experts believe this resurgence is related to an increased resistance to pesticides, an increase in international and domestic travel, lack of knowledge about control due to the prolonged absence of bed bugs in the US, and the decline of pest control programs at the state or local level.
Although bed bugs are not known to transmit disease they do cause a variety of negative physical health, mental health, and economic consequences. Bed bug infestations can occur in places such as hotels, apartments, nursing homes, hospitals, buses, trains, and dorm rooms. Bed bugs are then easily transferred from one location to another. Everyone is at risk, however those who travel frequently or share sleeping quarters have an increased risk.
Awareness of the presence of bed bugs is the first step in preventing a wide spread problem. Bed bug bites may take up to 14 days to surface so also look for signs such as finding bed bugs in the folds of sheets or mattresses, the presence of a sweet musty odor, or traces of rusty-colored blood spots on mattresses or nearby furniture.
Integrated pest management relies on a combination of common sense approaches such as vacuuming, applying heat treatment, removing clutter from area where bed bugs can hide, sealing cracks and crevices in the home, as well as the use of chemical pesticides when necessary.
Information was obtained from the CDC at www.cdc.gov.