Health officials across the country say some nasty night critters are making a comeback. Bed bug cases are up. And in 2005, they were reported in 43 states. The GLRC’s Tana Weingartner reports:
Transcript
Health officials across the country say some nasty night critters are
making a comeback. Bed bug cases are up, and in 2005, they were reported
in 43 states. The GLRC’s Tana Weingartner reports:
It turns out your mother knew what she talking about, when she
reminded you to “sleep tight” and “don’t let the bed bugs bite.” The
blood-sucking insects are popping up in hotels and homes around the
country.
Steve Chordas is a public health entomologist with the Ohio Department
of Health. He blames increases in travel and the banning of some
pesticides for the bed bug resurgence, but, he says, the bugs are more of
a nuisance than a public health threat.
“There’ve been some diseases that have been isolated from the bed bugs,
but it’s not been shown, scientifically at least, that these are able to be
vectored by the bed bugs or transmitted from the bed bugs to a new
victim.”
Bed bugs are like tiny hitchhikers that can hide in your luggage and
clothing if you stay in an infested hotel room. Extensive cleaning and
insecticides are usually needed to get rid of a bed bug infestation.
For the GLRC, I’m Tana Weingartner.