Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of bedbug bites will usually affect only the surface of your skin, revealing themselves as small itchy red bumps known as papules or wheals. You might find the lesions in a linear or clustered fashion, indicative of repeated feedings by a single bedbug.
Some people may develop allergic reactions or larger skin reactions such as:
Large, itchy wheals up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) across
Blister-like skin inflammations
Groups of small, swollen sacs of pus
Skin rashes similar to hives
Complications
You're likely to experience only the itchy skin welts that bedbugs cause while feeding. However, some people develop more complicated reactions to bedbug bites, such as clusters of inflamed red bumps, dilation of the capillaries under the skin, formation of pus-filled blisters and hives up to 8 inches across.
A rare possibility exists that anaphylactic shock may occur as an allergic reaction to the substances the bedbug injects while feeding.
Treatments and drugs
Treatment of bedbug bites is aimed at relieving symptoms. Bites usually resolve within one to two weeks.
Apply a topical cream, such as cortisone, to relieve itching.
Avoid scratching to prevent infection.
Consult your doctor if you have severe reactions. An oral antibiotic may be recommended if infection occurs. Oral corticosteroids may be recommended for severe allergic reaction.
Take antihistamines if needed to help relieve allergic reactions.
Once your symptoms are treated, you must tackle the infestation. First, you'll need to freeze pajamas, sheets and other bedclothes for at least 24 hours or launder them in hot water of at least 97 F (36 C). Vacuum the area of infestation daily and freeze the vacuum bags for 24 hours. Insecticide sprays such as dichlorvos, permethrin and malathion must be used around cracks and crevices in your home. Lawn and garden insect control sprays may contain these insecticides, and garden stores may have permethrin. However, this difficult task likely requires a professional inspection of the bedbug habitat and subsequent extermination.
Info provided by: MayoClinic
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bedbugs/DS00663/DSECTION=symptoms
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Nova Scotia home help nurses stop visiting client with bed bugs
Nova Scotia home help nurses stop visiting client with bed bugs
By nobugsonme on Jun 12, 2008 in ahern manor, bed bugs, bed bugs and health, bedbugs, canada, gottingen street, halifax, home health nurses, metropolitan regional housing authority, nova scotia, victorian order of nurses
The Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has ceased home health visits for a client while his home is treated for bed bugs. According to the Chronicle Herald:
The Victorian Order of Nurses has put home care on hold for a client living in a Halifax public housing complex because of bedbugs in his apartment, the Metropolitan Regional Housing Authority said Wednesday.
“We did confirm with VON that they have put (service to) one client in Ahern Manor on hold because of bedbugs,” said Pat Lawrence, director of the Metropolitan Regional Housing Authority, which oversees the Gottingen Street highrise.
“What I can tell you is when we got the report about the bedbugs, we did send our pest control company in right away. They fumigated there last Friday and they’re going in again today. They may have already been there just to re-inspect and to continue treatment if need be.”
When asked whether the bedbugs were confined to one or two apartments, Ms. Lawrence said the pests are a problem all over North America.
“What I guess I could say is . . . if we get a report, we immediately begin treatment,” she said. “We’ve tried to do education sessions, certainly, with our tenants and our staff about prevention and in treating bedbugs. It appears to me there are two apartments (with bedbugs) on the same floor, and we’re treating both of them.”
I am disturbed by this news item. Despite Victorian Order of Nurses official Dawn MacIsaac’s protests later in the article that VON is not “refusing to provide services or refusing to go into a home or that type of thing,” that appears to be what they are doing.
Service providers who visit people in their homes are unfortunately at risk of catching bed bugs.
What VON may not recognize is that they are also at risk of contracting bed bugs in homes where they cannot see obvious signs of bed bugs. Therefore, the organization needs to train its employees on how to take steps to reduce the chances of catching bed bugs — and to avoid taking them from one client to another.
And for cases like this one, humane treatment suggests finding a way to provide services to a person with an active bed bug infestation, whether that means getting him taken to another location for his normal treatment, or sending in nurses with Tyvek suits and training on avoiding bed bugs. The client with bed bugs is likely suffering physical and emotional repercussions of living with bed bugs, and in my opinion, now needs good health care from a friendly and supportive visitor more than ever.
I hope the VON gets assistance in creating a bed bug prevention plan from an entomologist who specializes in bed bugs.
I am glad that the client in question is getting pest control treatment, but I would hope the Metropolitan Regional Housing Authority was not just treating those two units, but carefully inspecting the entire building, keeping in mind that bed bug infestations can be difficult to detect.
By nobugsonme on Jun 12, 2008 in ahern manor, bed bugs, bed bugs and health, bedbugs, canada, gottingen street, halifax, home health nurses, metropolitan regional housing authority, nova scotia, victorian order of nurses
The Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has ceased home health visits for a client while his home is treated for bed bugs. According to the Chronicle Herald:
The Victorian Order of Nurses has put home care on hold for a client living in a Halifax public housing complex because of bedbugs in his apartment, the Metropolitan Regional Housing Authority said Wednesday.
“We did confirm with VON that they have put (service to) one client in Ahern Manor on hold because of bedbugs,” said Pat Lawrence, director of the Metropolitan Regional Housing Authority, which oversees the Gottingen Street highrise.
“What I can tell you is when we got the report about the bedbugs, we did send our pest control company in right away. They fumigated there last Friday and they’re going in again today. They may have already been there just to re-inspect and to continue treatment if need be.”
When asked whether the bedbugs were confined to one or two apartments, Ms. Lawrence said the pests are a problem all over North America.
“What I guess I could say is . . . if we get a report, we immediately begin treatment,” she said. “We’ve tried to do education sessions, certainly, with our tenants and our staff about prevention and in treating bedbugs. It appears to me there are two apartments (with bedbugs) on the same floor, and we’re treating both of them.”
I am disturbed by this news item. Despite Victorian Order of Nurses official Dawn MacIsaac’s protests later in the article that VON is not “refusing to provide services or refusing to go into a home or that type of thing,” that appears to be what they are doing.
Service providers who visit people in their homes are unfortunately at risk of catching bed bugs.
What VON may not recognize is that they are also at risk of contracting bed bugs in homes where they cannot see obvious signs of bed bugs. Therefore, the organization needs to train its employees on how to take steps to reduce the chances of catching bed bugs — and to avoid taking them from one client to another.
And for cases like this one, humane treatment suggests finding a way to provide services to a person with an active bed bug infestation, whether that means getting him taken to another location for his normal treatment, or sending in nurses with Tyvek suits and training on avoiding bed bugs. The client with bed bugs is likely suffering physical and emotional repercussions of living with bed bugs, and in my opinion, now needs good health care from a friendly and supportive visitor more than ever.
I hope the VON gets assistance in creating a bed bug prevention plan from an entomologist who specializes in bed bugs.
I am glad that the client in question is getting pest control treatment, but I would hope the Metropolitan Regional Housing Authority was not just treating those two units, but carefully inspecting the entire building, keeping in mind that bed bug infestations can be difficult to detect.
Physical and psychological damage
Physical and psychological damage
Outside Lawson's home, a mattress rests up against a tree beside a box spring and other items that have become infested with bed bugs.
Her clothes are in big, plastic garbage bags. Each time she wears something, she throws in into the wash right away in steaming hot water to get rid of any critters that might have crawled on.
The lack of sleep and anxiety are getting to her.
"I've become a social pariah," she said, her voice cracking with emotion. "I can't let anyone come over because I don't want to infest them, I'm too stressed out and exhausted to go out."
She is extremely fearful someone will find out her house is infested. Aside from not wanting to reveal her real name, she refuses to allow pictures of anything that might identify her house.
She said she's been on the Internet non-stop reading about bed bugs and the people who have been affected by it. She's read about people burning their house down, and others walking around their house in a burqa, an Islamic veil that covers the entire body except for the eyes.
"You have to see this, this is what I'm dealing with," she says, logging on to YouTube.
She plays video after video, each edited to resemble a horror flick about creepy, crawly bed bugs that bite and haven't let this woman sleep tight in a while.
Outside Lawson's home, a mattress rests up against a tree beside a box spring and other items that have become infested with bed bugs.
Her clothes are in big, plastic garbage bags. Each time she wears something, she throws in into the wash right away in steaming hot water to get rid of any critters that might have crawled on.
The lack of sleep and anxiety are getting to her.
"I've become a social pariah," she said, her voice cracking with emotion. "I can't let anyone come over because I don't want to infest them, I'm too stressed out and exhausted to go out."
She is extremely fearful someone will find out her house is infested. Aside from not wanting to reveal her real name, she refuses to allow pictures of anything that might identify her house.
She said she's been on the Internet non-stop reading about bed bugs and the people who have been affected by it. She's read about people burning their house down, and others walking around their house in a burqa, an Islamic veil that covers the entire body except for the eyes.
"You have to see this, this is what I'm dealing with," she says, logging on to YouTube.
She plays video after video, each edited to resemble a horror flick about creepy, crawly bed bugs that bite and haven't let this woman sleep tight in a while.
Facebook - Bedbug support groups
Bed Bug Survivors
Halifax's bed bug infestation
Bed Bug Phobia Support Group
The membership of these groups are pretty small
Halifax's bed bug infestation
Bed Bug Phobia Support Group
The membership of these groups are pretty small
Bedbug sufferers need solutions
Toronto StarBedbug sufferers need solutions
Long-awaited report tabled today
November 17, 2008
Joe Fiorito - The bedbug committee tables its interim report today. Many people are anxious to read it. Many more are wondering if they can get actual help, where they can get help, how they can get help; they are also wondering what kind of help there is in the fight against these bloodsuckers.I got a note from a friend of the column the other day. It came the old-fashioned way, in an envelope. I will protect her identity because, in addition to making life a living hell, bedbugs carry stigma, and with stigma comes a different kind of suffering. I have taken the liberty of editing slightly. She writes:"I once had a bug infestation brought into my house by my husband after he bought a newer-style hat from (a local service club.) Everybody had tried it on; someone had `company.' What to do? I got them, too."I had no washing machine; laundering was out. I got rid of them by using my steam iron on pillows, sheets, blankets, pyjamas and the bed mattress daily."Live steam cooks eggs and all else. People used to iron all their fabrics but polyester – no iron – is easier; nice, but the critters can survive in the dryer because no-iron has to have cooler temperatures. Old ladies like me often still own an ironing board and steam iron. It is work but it is cheap."We'll see what the report has to say about the use of the steam iron.You know from previous columns going back over at least a year that the bedbug problem is widespread across the GTA, in all sorts of neighbourhoods, from Oshawa to Hamilton, and from the lakeshore up to Barrie. I have my own little Q and A in advance of the report:Do most people know where and how to get help if they have an infestation? No. Does Public Health offer help and advice? They offer more advice than help. Is there any kind of help available right now? Not much, and it doesn't come fast.Can we compel landlords to spray an infected apartment? Not at the moment. Do landlords know that, for spraying to be effective in an apartment building or a rooming house, it ought to include the units above, below and to the side of the affected unit? Most don't.Can a tenant be compelled to submit to spraying? Not at the moment. Do bugs spread quickly if left unchecked? Yes. Should tenants be allowed to refuse help? Not in my opinion.Does anyone have to power to compel such intervention? Not really. Should the city pass a bylaw to compel compliance? In my view, yes. But compliance ought to be compelled with a gentle hand; in some cases, help must be delivered with a dollop of social and psychological services.Are "natural remedies" any good? I've yet to see proof. Is steam-cleaning a useful treatment on wood floors? No. Can you get bedbugs on public transit? I have used all forms of public transit almost daily for the past 11 years; I have, touch wood, no bugs to report.I also know that when we throw an infested mattress in the trash, it is likely that someone who needs a mattress will take it, and its bugs, home with them. I will judge the report according to how it answers these and other questions.I have a final thought, perhaps for inclusion in the report: We require restaurants to post notices assuring us we may dine safely here or there; why do we not require landlords to post similar notices indicating buildings are bedbug free? Stay tuned.
Long-awaited report tabled today
November 17, 2008
Joe Fiorito - The bedbug committee tables its interim report today. Many people are anxious to read it. Many more are wondering if they can get actual help, where they can get help, how they can get help; they are also wondering what kind of help there is in the fight against these bloodsuckers.I got a note from a friend of the column the other day. It came the old-fashioned way, in an envelope. I will protect her identity because, in addition to making life a living hell, bedbugs carry stigma, and with stigma comes a different kind of suffering. I have taken the liberty of editing slightly. She writes:"I once had a bug infestation brought into my house by my husband after he bought a newer-style hat from (a local service club.) Everybody had tried it on; someone had `company.' What to do? I got them, too."I had no washing machine; laundering was out. I got rid of them by using my steam iron on pillows, sheets, blankets, pyjamas and the bed mattress daily."Live steam cooks eggs and all else. People used to iron all their fabrics but polyester – no iron – is easier; nice, but the critters can survive in the dryer because no-iron has to have cooler temperatures. Old ladies like me often still own an ironing board and steam iron. It is work but it is cheap."We'll see what the report has to say about the use of the steam iron.You know from previous columns going back over at least a year that the bedbug problem is widespread across the GTA, in all sorts of neighbourhoods, from Oshawa to Hamilton, and from the lakeshore up to Barrie. I have my own little Q and A in advance of the report:Do most people know where and how to get help if they have an infestation? No. Does Public Health offer help and advice? They offer more advice than help. Is there any kind of help available right now? Not much, and it doesn't come fast.Can we compel landlords to spray an infected apartment? Not at the moment. Do landlords know that, for spraying to be effective in an apartment building or a rooming house, it ought to include the units above, below and to the side of the affected unit? Most don't.Can a tenant be compelled to submit to spraying? Not at the moment. Do bugs spread quickly if left unchecked? Yes. Should tenants be allowed to refuse help? Not in my opinion.Does anyone have to power to compel such intervention? Not really. Should the city pass a bylaw to compel compliance? In my view, yes. But compliance ought to be compelled with a gentle hand; in some cases, help must be delivered with a dollop of social and psychological services.Are "natural remedies" any good? I've yet to see proof. Is steam-cleaning a useful treatment on wood floors? No. Can you get bedbugs on public transit? I have used all forms of public transit almost daily for the past 11 years; I have, touch wood, no bugs to report.I also know that when we throw an infested mattress in the trash, it is likely that someone who needs a mattress will take it, and its bugs, home with them. I will judge the report according to how it answers these and other questions.I have a final thought, perhaps for inclusion in the report: We require restaurants to post notices assuring us we may dine safely here or there; why do we not require landlords to post similar notices indicating buildings are bedbug free? Stay tuned.
Bed bugs - Not a health hazard
Bed Bugs - Not a Health Hazard
Bed bugs can be found anywhere, from the cleanest of homes right down to the direst of homes. They can be found in hotels, apartments, businesses and schools. You could go out for a night at the movies and come home with bed bugs. Who is to blame? Bed bugs are becoming more and more of a problem. So what is one to do about this little problem? Many tenants are finding their landlords to be very unsympathetic which is hard to deal with when it’s impossible to sleep because you’re getting bitten all night long by little unwanted guests.
Some have said that bed bugs should be considered a health hazard, but at the moment it’s not. Like lice, bed bugs are defiantly a nuisance but not a health threat. Bed bugs don’t cause any type of diseases so therefore the provincial government doesn’t typically have much to do with cases of bed bugs because it isn’t considered a risk to the public. Generally, the city doesn’t deal with the issue either.
Do you think this is fair? People can pick up bed bugs virtually anywhere and while they don’t cause any diseases they do cause extreme itching that can lead to more intense pain as well as rashes. So should bed bugs be considered a health risk? As bed bug infestations continue to grow so will this issue. Share your thoughts with us below.
Full story found here: http://thechronicleherald.ca/Metro/1089388.html
Bed bugs can be found anywhere, from the cleanest of homes right down to the direst of homes. They can be found in hotels, apartments, businesses and schools. You could go out for a night at the movies and come home with bed bugs. Who is to blame? Bed bugs are becoming more and more of a problem. So what is one to do about this little problem? Many tenants are finding their landlords to be very unsympathetic which is hard to deal with when it’s impossible to sleep because you’re getting bitten all night long by little unwanted guests.
Some have said that bed bugs should be considered a health hazard, but at the moment it’s not. Like lice, bed bugs are defiantly a nuisance but not a health threat. Bed bugs don’t cause any type of diseases so therefore the provincial government doesn’t typically have much to do with cases of bed bugs because it isn’t considered a risk to the public. Generally, the city doesn’t deal with the issue either.
Do you think this is fair? People can pick up bed bugs virtually anywhere and while they don’t cause any diseases they do cause extreme itching that can lead to more intense pain as well as rashes. So should bed bugs be considered a health risk? As bed bug infestations continue to grow so will this issue. Share your thoughts with us below.
Full story found here: http://thechronicleherald.ca/Metro/1089388.html
Toronto Public Health fact Sheet
Toronto Public Health has developed a bed bug fact sheet that is available in 14 languages
It is also rated the number one searched website in the GTA
How do bed bugs get into my home?
Bed bugs are often carried into a home on objects such as furniture and clothing.
If you think you have a bed bug problem, check for live bed bugs or shells in the following areas:
Seams, creases, tufts and folds of mattresses and box springs
Cracks in the bed frame and head board
Under chairs, couches, beds, dust covers
Between the cushions of couches and chairs
Under area rugs and the edges of carpets
Between the folds of curtains
In drawers
Behind baseboards, and around window and door casings
Behind electrical plates and under loose wallpaper, paintings and posters
In cracks in plaster
In telephones, radios, and clocks Bed bugs can also travel from apartment to apartment along pipes, electrical wiring and other openings. If the infestation is heavy, a sweet smell may be noticed in the room.
For more information go to:
www.toronto.ca/health/bedbugs
It is also rated the number one searched website in the GTA
How do bed bugs get into my home?
Bed bugs are often carried into a home on objects such as furniture and clothing.
If you think you have a bed bug problem, check for live bed bugs or shells in the following areas:
Seams, creases, tufts and folds of mattresses and box springs
Cracks in the bed frame and head board
Under chairs, couches, beds, dust covers
Between the cushions of couches and chairs
Under area rugs and the edges of carpets
Between the folds of curtains
In drawers
Behind baseboards, and around window and door casings
Behind electrical plates and under loose wallpaper, paintings and posters
In cracks in plaster
In telephones, radios, and clocks Bed bugs can also travel from apartment to apartment along pipes, electrical wiring and other openings. If the infestation is heavy, a sweet smell may be noticed in the room.
For more information go to:
www.toronto.ca/health/bedbugs
Bed Bug Bite Symptoms
Bed Bug Bite Symptoms
Bed bug bites look like little red bumps and often occur in a unique bite pattern of a linear group of three, sometimes referred to as a "breakfast, lunch, dinner" pattern. Bedbug bites are often in this pattern, but can also occur singly.
The effect of these bites on humans varies from person to person, but typical symptoms are welts and swelling that are more itchy and longer-lasting than mosquito bites. Some people, however, have little or no reaction.
Bites and Disease
Bites and Disease
Health organizations around the world will attest that bed bugs pose no real threat, nor do they spread disease. Even though a bed bug bite will leave saliva under the skin of the host, these bites do not cause or transfer any types of disease. This fact separates the bed bug from other bloodsucking insects like mosquitoes, which transfer malaria, dengue and a host of other ailments. There is, however, a definite downside to receiving a bed bug bite. The skin will be irritated and itchy, with marks at the affected area. Bed bug bites may look the same as those caused by other insects, like mosquito bites. Some people who have been bitten by bed bugs will suffer with blemished skin. Repeated bites will result in many wounds. Some people will suffer with allergic reactions that may lead to more serious skin irritations. Even though bed bugs may not pose any serious health hazards, the itchiness and irritation of the bites themselves, and just the sheer discomfort of sleeping in an infested bed, should be reason enough to seek treatment and rid your home of these pesky critters.
Health organizations around the world will attest that bed bugs pose no real threat, nor do they spread disease. Even though a bed bug bite will leave saliva under the skin of the host, these bites do not cause or transfer any types of disease. This fact separates the bed bug from other bloodsucking insects like mosquitoes, which transfer malaria, dengue and a host of other ailments. There is, however, a definite downside to receiving a bed bug bite. The skin will be irritated and itchy, with marks at the affected area. Bed bug bites may look the same as those caused by other insects, like mosquito bites. Some people who have been bitten by bed bugs will suffer with blemished skin. Repeated bites will result in many wounds. Some people will suffer with allergic reactions that may lead to more serious skin irritations. Even though bed bugs may not pose any serious health hazards, the itchiness and irritation of the bites themselves, and just the sheer discomfort of sleeping in an infested bed, should be reason enough to seek treatment and rid your home of these pesky critters.
Fox News Employee sues over bed bugs - claims PTSD
Fox News Employee sues over bed bugs - claims PTSD
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Fox News employee who says she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after being bitten by bedbugs at work filed a lawsuit on Thursday against the owner of the Manhattan office tower where she worked. Jane Clark, 37, a 12-year veteran of Fox News, a unit of News Corp, said she complained to human resources after being bitten three times between October 2007 and April 2008. She said she was ridiculed and the office was not treated for months.
Clark, who says she's been diagnosed with PTSD and can no longer work, has filed a separate workers compensation claim with News Corp, and the company is paying her medical bills and lost wages. A News Corp spokeswoman declined to comment because News Corp was not named in the lawsuit.
"It's their obligation to the working public to provide a safe environment," Schnurman [her lawyer] said.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Fox News employee who says she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after being bitten by bedbugs at work filed a lawsuit on Thursday against the owner of the Manhattan office tower where she worked. Jane Clark, 37, a 12-year veteran of Fox News, a unit of News Corp, said she complained to human resources after being bitten three times between October 2007 and April 2008. She said she was ridiculed and the office was not treated for months.
Clark, who says she's been diagnosed with PTSD and can no longer work, has filed a separate workers compensation claim with News Corp, and the company is paying her medical bills and lost wages. A News Corp spokeswoman declined to comment because News Corp was not named in the lawsuit.
"It's their obligation to the working public to provide a safe environment," Schnurman [her lawyer] said.
It's War Against Bed Bugs
It's war against bed bugs
Health board seeks $75Gs to aid 'vulnerable' tenants
By BRYN WEESE, SUN MEDIA
Last Updated: 18th November 2008, 2:14am
Bed bugs have finally bitten Toronto Public Health -- but not hard enough, according to some critics.
The board agreed yesterday to ask the city for $75,000 one-time emergency money to help vulnerable people who are not currently on social services have their apartments made ready for bed bug spraying treatments that are the landlords' responsibility.
Public Health also decided to expand the city's "bug and scrub" program, which helps residents on either Ontario Works or disability move their furniture and clean their apartments. It also struck a team of three board members to work with service agencies to decide what more Public Health can do to curb bed bugs in the city.
The blood-sucking bugs have prompted 1,444 calls to public health officials for help -- up from 147 calls in 2006 -- in the first seven months of this year.
But according to some social service providers, the city's response to what they call a "health hazard" is not enough.
Sandra Van, of South Etobicoke's LAMP Community Health Care, said her organization pulled out of the city's bed bug steering committee when it appeared no one was taking the issue seriously enough.
"A comprehensive approach with adequate resources needs to be made immediately," she said, noting she thinks bed bugs should be declared a health hazard. "This report, including the suggested future actions, do not adequately address the problem."
Even some city councillors aren't completely satisfied.
"It's basically an excuses report," charged Councillor Howard Moscoe, who told the board he represents one of the city's most infected buildings. In a letter to the board, he urged it to declare the bugs a "health hazard".
"I know it's not an infectious disease, and I know that (bed bugs) don't kill people, but I think we have to start treating it as if it did."
Dr. David McKeown, Toronto's medical officer of health, acknowledged bed bugs are an increasing problem.
"I understand that people are frustrated, that for people, particularly vulnerable individuals who are facing severe infestations, this is a very distressing situation," he said. "The $75,000 certainly isn't enough to deal with the whole problem, but it's an urgent need."
He said the nearly 1,000% increase in calls concerning bed bugs not only has to do with increased infestations, but also probably reflects the fact that more people are reporting them.
Councillor Paula Fletcher, who sits on the health board, agreed yesterday's decisions won't solve the problem.
"This is not the final report, there is more work to be done," she said, noting another report will come to the health board in March.
Health board seeks $75Gs to aid 'vulnerable' tenants
By BRYN WEESE, SUN MEDIA
Last Updated: 18th November 2008, 2:14am
Bed bugs have finally bitten Toronto Public Health -- but not hard enough, according to some critics.
The board agreed yesterday to ask the city for $75,000 one-time emergency money to help vulnerable people who are not currently on social services have their apartments made ready for bed bug spraying treatments that are the landlords' responsibility.
Public Health also decided to expand the city's "bug and scrub" program, which helps residents on either Ontario Works or disability move their furniture and clean their apartments. It also struck a team of three board members to work with service agencies to decide what more Public Health can do to curb bed bugs in the city.
The blood-sucking bugs have prompted 1,444 calls to public health officials for help -- up from 147 calls in 2006 -- in the first seven months of this year.
But according to some social service providers, the city's response to what they call a "health hazard" is not enough.
Sandra Van, of South Etobicoke's LAMP Community Health Care, said her organization pulled out of the city's bed bug steering committee when it appeared no one was taking the issue seriously enough.
"A comprehensive approach with adequate resources needs to be made immediately," she said, noting she thinks bed bugs should be declared a health hazard. "This report, including the suggested future actions, do not adequately address the problem."
Even some city councillors aren't completely satisfied.
"It's basically an excuses report," charged Councillor Howard Moscoe, who told the board he represents one of the city's most infected buildings. In a letter to the board, he urged it to declare the bugs a "health hazard".
"I know it's not an infectious disease, and I know that (bed bugs) don't kill people, but I think we have to start treating it as if it did."
Dr. David McKeown, Toronto's medical officer of health, acknowledged bed bugs are an increasing problem.
"I understand that people are frustrated, that for people, particularly vulnerable individuals who are facing severe infestations, this is a very distressing situation," he said. "The $75,000 certainly isn't enough to deal with the whole problem, but it's an urgent need."
He said the nearly 1,000% increase in calls concerning bed bugs not only has to do with increased infestations, but also probably reflects the fact that more people are reporting them.
Councillor Paula Fletcher, who sits on the health board, agreed yesterday's decisions won't solve the problem.
"This is not the final report, there is more work to be done," she said, noting another report will come to the health board in March.
Urban Critters
Urban critters: The bed bug
Nicholas Read, Vancouver SunPublished: Saturday, October 25, 2008
What it's called: The bed bug, or in Latin, Cimex lectularius.
What it looks like: A small wingless oval-shaped insect, no more than half a centimetre long, that looks like something out of the Cretaceous period. Its light tan to deep brown flat body is formed by six distinct horizontal plates that give it the appearance of armour, while its head is vaguely reminiscent of a triceratops.
Where to find it: All over the world. It became scarce in developed nations in the latter part of the 20th Century, but has since made a big comeback, to the consternation and disgust of hotel patrons everywhere. It's particularly fond of small crevices, which is why it likes mattresses and bed frames so much. It also will stow away in luggage, furniture and even pillows. Definitely time to say "yech!" It travels from apartment to apartment or hotel suite to hotel suite through cracks in walls or tiny holes made for wires or pipes.
What it eats: The blood of warm-blooded animals, including bats, birds, dogs, cats and humans. That is why it's such a menace to us. It also is primarily nocturnal so it does its hunting and blood-sucking at night.
What eats it: Other kinds of bugs and arthropods including house centipedes, masked hunter bugs and fire ants.
In the American Southwest, the traditional cure for bed bugs is to throw your mattress on a nest of fire ants. Though then there is the problem of how to get rid of the ants.
How it reproduces: Through something called traumatic insemination.
Instead of inserting his genitalia into the female's reproductive tract in the way of most copulating partners, the male has to pierce the female almost in the way of a hypodermic needle and then ejaculate sperm throughout her body cavity. His reward? Being father of up to five bed bug eggs a day, or up to 500 in a lifetime.
What happens when you're bitten: It depends on you and your skin type. But typically an itchy red welt will result up to nine days after being bitten. Some unlucky individuals may be allergic to the bed bug's saliva and so will suffer nausea or other types of illness.
© The Vancouver Sun 2008
Nicholas Read, Vancouver SunPublished: Saturday, October 25, 2008
What it's called: The bed bug, or in Latin, Cimex lectularius.
What it looks like: A small wingless oval-shaped insect, no more than half a centimetre long, that looks like something out of the Cretaceous period. Its light tan to deep brown flat body is formed by six distinct horizontal plates that give it the appearance of armour, while its head is vaguely reminiscent of a triceratops.
Where to find it: All over the world. It became scarce in developed nations in the latter part of the 20th Century, but has since made a big comeback, to the consternation and disgust of hotel patrons everywhere. It's particularly fond of small crevices, which is why it likes mattresses and bed frames so much. It also will stow away in luggage, furniture and even pillows. Definitely time to say "yech!" It travels from apartment to apartment or hotel suite to hotel suite through cracks in walls or tiny holes made for wires or pipes.
What it eats: The blood of warm-blooded animals, including bats, birds, dogs, cats and humans. That is why it's such a menace to us. It also is primarily nocturnal so it does its hunting and blood-sucking at night.
What eats it: Other kinds of bugs and arthropods including house centipedes, masked hunter bugs and fire ants.
In the American Southwest, the traditional cure for bed bugs is to throw your mattress on a nest of fire ants. Though then there is the problem of how to get rid of the ants.
How it reproduces: Through something called traumatic insemination.
Instead of inserting his genitalia into the female's reproductive tract in the way of most copulating partners, the male has to pierce the female almost in the way of a hypodermic needle and then ejaculate sperm throughout her body cavity. His reward? Being father of up to five bed bug eggs a day, or up to 500 in a lifetime.
What happens when you're bitten: It depends on you and your skin type. But typically an itchy red welt will result up to nine days after being bitten. Some unlucky individuals may be allergic to the bed bug's saliva and so will suffer nausea or other types of illness.
© The Vancouver Sun 2008
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