Bed Bugs, not just a myth that you’re mum uses to make sure you wash your bedding!
Sky News reports that New York, the city that never sleeps, is planning to increase their spending to stop the bedbugs biting. Shockingly complaints against bed bug bites have increased by 40% in the last three years!
The city has said that it will spend £320,500 informing the public how to kill off the torturous bed bugs and it finally put the issue to bed (so to speak).
Shockingly last year a whopping 33,000 people called the bedbug complaint hotline to ask how to deal with them and how to stop them from biting.
A bedbug is a minute insect which lives off warm blood whether that be humans or animals. They are mainly active at night so that they have easy access to warm bodies where they can “feast”.
The way in which they do this is to inject the host with saliva and suck out small amounts of blood. This can cause infections itching and general skin irritation.
Bed bug bite symptoms consist of small raised lumps on the skin that may itch. The most common signs are redness, swelling itching and soreness. It is important to be aware that if you do scratch the wounds then they can become infected.
Typically no treatment is required for the bites unless the itching become severe then your GP will more likely recommend steroid cream or oral antihistamines. If the area is to be scratched then a course of steroids may be recommended should the area become infected.
Most people think that when they go on holiday it’s going to be a fabulous luxurious time. Most people don’t expect to come home with a severe amount of bed bug bites!! However, this is becoming a growing concern particularly in the high class hotels in New York. As you can imagine this does not look good for the businesses so they are doing everything they can to prevent from becoming infested with these bed big bites.
Should you unfortunately become infected there may be a possibility of a potential claim for compensation. Not just for the injuries but for the loss of enjoyment. Most people don’t realise but with injuries sustained by a lack of cleanliness or hygiene you can potentially claim for compensation, providing that the injuries are significant and there is a direct link between the two incidents. Bed Bug bites are normally very minor injuries and most of the times aren’t even noticed. But there is the odd occasion when the bite may cause infection or in very rare scenarios even anaphylactic shock!!
One helpful website is www.scambs.gov.uk/bedbugs which gives you tips on how to treat bed bugs yourself:
- Strip all beds of linen and wash in as hot water.
- Ensure the bedroom floor is clear of obstructions, remove and destroy and rubbish that could contain insects.
- The bed frames, skirting and floors of the effected rooms will be sprayed with a residual insecticide.
- Cover any fish tanks, remove other pets from the house. The treatment should take 2-3 hours but it is recommended that the house is left empty for 4 hours afterwards.
So remember hygiene and household cleanliness is the key to avoiding these scary creepy crawlies from sucking on your blood in the night!!
