Comments on: Virginia Beach hotel sued over alleged bed bug attack

By: nobugsonme

nobugsonme — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:27:57 +0000

Hi Tracey,

Dust mites can cause allergic reactions, but don’t bite.

I suspect your bites are from bed bugs (or possibly fleas or mites, assuming no positive identification has been made yet).

I am shocked that the health department does not care, since other bodies (health departments and even the World Health Organization) recognize that bed bugs are a health concern even if they are not yet known to spread disease.

I am not sure of the procedure for complaining to OSHA , but I suspect that OSHA standards are being violated when people are being bitten by a pest in the workplace, one which causes itchy bite marks, and which can easily be taken home to infest one’s residence.

By: Tracey

Tracey — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:30:22 +0000

The company I work for has dust mites/bed bugs. More than half the center (3 floors) has been bitten at some time or another by these pest. It was reported to the Tx health Department and no one came to investigate because they do not consider it a health threat. This has been goin on for well over a year. The company claims they have sprayed, but we all are still getting bit. Some days the bites are so bad, I just wanna walk out. I have scars, asmtha, cant sleep at night, cant concentrate at work. My dermatologist did a skin biopsy which was inconclusive, so more test will have to be be done. I need my job, but I cannot continue to work for a company who does not have any regard to my well being. What can I do about this, where are the experts (lawyers, doctors, local health officials) in regards to this matter. We need help and no one seems to take this seriously.

By: hopelessnomo

hopelessnomo — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 04:26:01 +0000

It’s all Nobugs, vacationer.

And I agree with both of you, there has to be someone who is responsible. Angry, with perhaps a couple of other students who are also affected, should go sit in that person’s office until their concerns are heard.

By: vacationer

vacationer — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 07:24:40 +0000

“hopelessnomo” is right. Somewhere in your university is a person with the power to fix this. Your job is to find them and induce them to hear you. Be sure to mention how it’s affecting your studying.

-v.

By: nobugsonme

nobugsonme — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 00:10:35 +0000

Angry,

I repeat:

You should fight for better treatment. Contact the student newspaper and the local health dept., but first, go as high as you can in the university admin. I suspect that the higher you go, the more people are apt to listen. Give them the chance to do that before you embarrass them publicly, which is a last resort, but one you might have to employ.

Seriously, eight or nine treatments is not good. You need people to get behind your case. I would suspect others with rooms near yours are infested. A college student in NYC sued the provider of her dorm room (contracted out, but still). If you get parents to call the admin, get the student paper and local media to cover the case, you are being kind, but might still see more action.

By: nobugsonme

nobugsonme — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 23:06:27 +0000

Anon, you are correct in that bed bugs have not been found to transmit diseases at this time. They have been found to carry them, but not transmit them. The lawyer’s words are not entirely inaccurate and are very misleading. There is no evidence that the bed bug found in this hotel carried disease, and no evidence that anyone has caught anything infectious from a bed bug.

Bed bugs can carry Heptatitis B.

They can also carry HIV.

But again, there is no need for panic, as they have not been shown to transmit these to humans.

By: angry college student

angry college student — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 22:44:53 +0000

We have tried everything to get through to these people, but they continuously spray the room thinking the bugs may magically disappear someday. Finally, as of yesterday they came with a new pest control, who was going to spray along with some other method. I asked them to check behind the baseboards and in the wall that i share with our neighbor. They didn’t do that, they just sprayed under the baseboard… I woke up a couple days ago with new bites, and I did find a couple more bugs crawling around. We’ve had new beds, so the beds aren’t a problem anymore. The bugs aren’t disease-carrying, or they haven’t been known to carry diseases yes, but they are disgusting, and they do bite. Imagine having to try and sleep comfortably each night, knowing that around 2-3 in the morning your bed is going to be crawling with bugs.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 22:20:21 +0000

“However, the hotel breached those duties when it allowed the rooms to become infested with biting, disease-carrying bed bugs, he said.”

Inaccurate statements like this only contribute to the fear and stigma.

By: nobugsonme

nobugsonme — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 19:00:42 +0000

LOL– I think Nomo thinks “cryonite” = “cryptonite to bed bugs.”
(Hey folks, if you TM that phrase, bedbugger wants a cut.)

By: hopelessnomo

hopelessnomo — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 14:34:47 +0000

I wrote a comment (okay, comments) with links on this post: The iceman cometh.

I’m a little obsessed with this cryonite stuff.