Comments on: Bed Bugs are a Pest of Significant Public Health Importance

By: The active spread of bed bugs in buildings: the stakes for cities — New York vs Bed Bugs

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 03:48:18 +0000

[...] Significant public health importance. I think of this phrase every day. May it one day mean what it says, yes? [...]

By: All interminable things must come to an end — New York vs Bed Bugs

All interminable things must come to an end — New York vs Bed Bugs — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:45:12 +0000

[...] Writing for this blog has been extraordinarily rewarding for me. It’s been great to speak my mind about a subject that few care about, and about all the things that are wrong and should be made right. Ahem, remember always that bed bugs are freaking public health pests. [...]

By: Blaming EPA is not the answer either — New York vs Bed Bugs

Blaming EPA is not the answer either — New York vs Bed Bugs — Sun, 24 May 2009 09:05:11 +0000

[...] small problem we have, and that is that nobody cares. But if bed bugs are public health pests (and they are) who is going to end the leadership vacuum? And couldn’t this be the greatest public [...]

By: Renee Corea

Renee Corea — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 01:15:24 +0000

Sherice,

I’m very sorry for your situation. In many jurisdictions the landlord is required to eradicate bedbugs in your apartment. You should check with the housing department or a tenant advocate organization where you live–and call the health department to see if they have any specific advice for you or information resources. You should confirm what the law is in your city before proceeding: many people are uninformed about bed bugs generally and about rights and responsibilities in rental apartments. Get official confirmation of who is responsible for eradication.

Throwing away furniture is not always recommended as it can be saved with treatment and, sadly, throwing it out very rarely solves a bed bug problem. Treatment by a pest control professional experienced in bed bug eradication is the best advice. I hope your landlord will come round once you present them with the right information.

By: sherice williams

sherice williams — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 22:00:31 +0000

First let me start off by saying I am mentally drained and can not believe that everyone I have told about this is acting like I’m crazy. I was told by my land lord and by the section 8 inspector that this is personal. I don’t travel, I have not been to any hotels, and I have tried to use pesticides since the beginning of February. I had to throw out my bed, my son twin beds and almost everything in my house. No one is helping me and accusing me of being careless. Who and what should I do. I need help immediately. The other tenents are acting like they don’t have them. If they don’t they will. How can I replace my furniture when the owner is saying it’s personal. I caught ten bugs put them in a bag and showed him. He still thought it was a joke and laughed. My son is in the 9th grade and is very embarrassed to go to school. It’s mentally effecting him to. What do we do. I am so hurt that I would be told this is personal.

By: Renee Corea

Renee Corea — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 03:04:48 +0000

Hi Rich!

We’ve been nothing but about this EPA meeting, ha ha.

Check it out: http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/2009/02/23/extraordinary-breaking-news-an-epa-bed-bug-conference-in-washington-on-april-14/

I am actually very encouraged by this. Of course, who really knows. We shall see. But it’s certainly big.

I want to go but am not sure that I can…

By: Rich

Rich — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 03:01:00 +0000

Did you read that the federal gov’t is going to have a bed bug summit in Washington next month? Don’t want to sound negative, but with the way the feds are behaving lately, I’m not sure that we can expect much…but, maybe it’s a start.
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/health&id=6713851

By: Renee Corea

Renee Corea — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 02:42:23 +0000

That’s an interesting idea! Tell us more.

Improving access to pest control services is indeed the most challenging problem of all. It is where any urban control plan will founder if it is not considered.

We have been interested in, well, the dream of the availability of Bug and Scrub-type solutions– Bug and Scrub is a social purpose enterprise bed bug prep/treatment service in Toronto. Sliding scale. Employment creation. No pesticide application (I think).

By: Amdy

Amdy — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 01:18:51 +0000

Hi Renee,
People are indeed speaking out now being better educated and more aware of the problem. No longer the stigma that it used to be.
However, we find a good number of apartment dwellers, homeowners and shelter residents not knowing where to turn to for help or unable to pay for exterminator fees. Meanwhile, problems associated with the infestation area staring them in the face with the attendant nightmares!!
Should there be a concerted effort to find grant funding and other help to enable victims to access and pay for professional services? I am thinking a coupon system modeled after a spay -neuter program that allows cash strapped pet owners to buy subsidized coupons that are presented to veterinarians in exchange for services rendered. A special fund then pays the difference to the Vet. Same model could be replicated in urban settings and may be fairly easy to administer. Also ensures timeliness of treatment!!
Thinking along these lines has become imperative since an individual’s bed bug problem can no longer be regarded with indifference and as an isolated case. Each infestation serves as a route for dissemination through unwary family members, neighbors and visitors to the infested premises.
When the elderly are involved, the infestation becomes a source for spread. Kids, grandkids, family, home health workers all fall victim.
Jumping on a bed bug infestation in the very early stages can make all the difference especially where the partners cooperate to tackle the problem.
I will comment later on how the level of cooperation between parties in an extermination effort can impact a bed bug treatment and control protocol/regimen.
Legislation alone may not address our concerns and inaction is unacceptable!!

By: Renee Corea

Renee Corea — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:47:55 +0000

Hi Amdy,

While this has been the situation up to now, I expect that we will begin to see changes. The sheer pressure of so widespread a problem, and the increasing notice by some government agencies, will start to work against the reticence of public health officials to get involved. But, yes, in the meantime it is very hard on people. And it’s harder because you know that in general people are indifferent to what is happening and too many people think bed bugs are a ridiculous issue.

Our position has always been that disease transmission is unnecessary to a determination of public health concern. This is not very hard to prove, actually, in practical terms. In NYC, our health department has always said that bed bugs don’t spread disease and it’s therefore not their purview, period. And yet, it is so easy to find in their efforts in other areas– like, infamously, a handsomely-produced insomnia brochure last fall– the lie contained in that statement.

But it’s also important for people to speak up about their problems and demand attention. The stigma of bed bugs that causes so many people to suffer in silence has not helped all these years.

I think things will change, I really do.