RI, MA EHS Pest Control Blog

Bed bugs found in Hospital for Children

Bed bugs were discovered this weekend at Riley Hospital for Children, an Indiana University Health official said this morning.

"Bed bugs continue to be an issue nationwide," said IU Health spokeswoman Abby Gras in an email. "To ensure the safety of our patients and families, we work closely with our infection control and environmental services departments to ensure the incident is isolated and dealt with in a timely manner."

A family staying at the hospital with a newborn daughter shared photos of the bedbugs and an email with WXIN (Channel 59). WXIN did not name the family in its reports, and the hospital has not named the family in responding to them.

Bed bugs are small, oval, brownish insects that live on the blood of animals or humans, according to the WebMD.com. Adult bedbugs have flat bodies about the size of an apple seed. After feeding, their bodies swell and turn a reddish color.

Although their bites cause redness and itching, the insects do not transmit diseases, according to the medical information website.

Bed bugs can be inadvertently brought home in luggage and other items after motel or hospital stays. They often hide in mattresses, box springs, bedframes and headboards. They are active mostly at night.

Cleanliness and hygiene, experts say, have no connection to incidence of bed bugs. A single stowaway ready to lay eggs can lead to an infestation in a clean and well-kept environment.

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

School Officials Say Bedbugs at School a Hoax

Augusta Independent School Principal Robin Kelsch had enough to worry about with the flu. Kelsch didn't need a student's report of bedbugs at the school to make things worse.

But, that's what he got.

Kelsch told The Ledger Independent that the report turned out to be a hoax, but school office phones were ringing with concerned parents on the other end (http://bit.ly/y6sYQw).

Kelsch said the rumor started when a student brought in a water bug and squashed it, then told her friends it was a bedbug "just to scare them."

Kelsch said officials checked the school, then bleached and cleaned it and found "absolutely no" bedbugs.

As far as can be determined, Kelsch said, no one used the bedbug rumor as an excuse to skip school.

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Bedbugs on the Increase in Schools

New York City's school system says bedbugs are being found in its schools at three times the rate they were being discovered last year.

Department of Education statistics show the pests were confirmed in schools an average of 340 times per month from September through January this school year compared to 104 times per month in the 2009-10 school year, the New York Post reported Wednesday.

"In many buildings, bedbugs are not managed correctly, and therefore not eliminated," said Renee Corea, who was on a city advisory board last year on how to contain the insects.

"Why would it be surprising that reports are increasing in schools?"

"If the schools took a proactive role, they could help tremendously," she said. "As it is, with a purely reactive stance, they are not helping the situation."

Education department officials responded by emphasizing that each report was likely prompted by a single bedbug found on a child's clothing, rather than a school-wide outbreak.

"Schools are not hospitable environments for bedbugs," a department spokeswoman said.

EHS is a Quality Pro School Certified company.

source: www.upi.com

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA