Bed Bug Information: Outbreak in NJ Highrise

Bed Bugs at High Rise

For bed bug information, read the full article below at Bridgeton News

By Sean C. McCullen
April 26, 2008

Important Bed Bug Information:

BRIDGETON -- The Bridgeton Housing Authority (BHA) is once again contending with bed bugs at its East Commerce Street senior high-rise.

"This is an ongoing problem," county health officer Herb Roeschke said. "It's not an easy fix."

A nurse at the Cumberland County Guidance Center's city office reported to the News Friday that she had treated three high-rise residents in the morning, all of whom had bed-bug bites, including one severe case.

"They're basically being told to get over it," Carol Heney, the nurse at the mental-health facility, said.

BHA Executive Director Ray Maier indicated that the authority is concerned about bed-bug infestation and has worked with tenants to deal with the problem.

"We discovered some time ago that some people will not give us bed bug information us when they see a bed bug. I think this is because different people think differently about the problem," Maier wrote in an e-mail to the News. "Some think one bed bug is no big deal, others just don't seem to care, or others don't want the exterminator in their rooms and others don't want to do their part by washing their clothes in very hot water (which we've paid for) or get rid of furniture that is so badly infested it can't be treated, even though we can often get them help to replace such furniture."

The housing authority first became aware of bed bugs in three or four high-rise apartments in 2005. Working with the county health department, BHA has since done what it can to deal with the pests, according to Roeschke.

"Quite frankly, the administration at the high-rise has really done a lot to try to control the problem. They've spent a lot of money and put a lot of time into it," he said.

Bed Bug Information: What to Do

In most cases, the bugs are transported from infested areas to non-infested areas when they cling to clothing, bedding or furniture that comes into homes.

While it is recommended that high-rise tenants contact BHA about potential bed-bug infestation so a licensed exterminator can investigate the problem, people can take the following steps to fight bed bugs:

First, find out where the bugs are hiding, typically behind headboards, inside and on box springs, and in mattress seams;

Wash all clothing, bedding, and rugs, using hot water where possible;

Vacuum and/or dust mattresses and carpets, as well as other furniture and items nearby beds, throwing away vacuum bags upon completion;

After cleaning a mattress, seal it in a zippered mattress cover.

For more detailed information, visit the county health department's Web site at www.cshealth.org.

"We need to have people understand that some of this is going to be their responsibility," Roeschke said of curbing the bed-bug problem.

Bed Bug Information: About Bed Bugs

Bed bugs were common in the country prior to World War II, but were greatly reduced through the use of insecticides such as DDT, which has been banned in the United States for most uses since the early 1970s.

In the last 10 years or so, the pests have made an obviously unwanted comeback.

Fortunately, bed bugs are not known to transmit any diseases, though they certainly can cause anxiety, stress and even insomnia.

Bed-bug bites are painless, however "a small, hard, swollen, white welt may develop at the site of each bite," according to a fact sheet on The Ohio State University Extension's Web site.

As with most insect bites, bed-bug bites are accompanied by itching and, if scratched, the welts may become infected.

Or have the bed bugs never been completely eradicated?

--Sean C. McCullen

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