Cincinnati’s health department got almost 11 times as many requests for help with bed bugs in 2008 compared with 2007 (the number jumped from 70 to 750).  And the Cincinnati Enquirer reports today that they’ve now ceased inspecting for bed bugs.

Hmpf.

We knew this was coming when the 2009 budget did not include the $291K needed for this purpose.  The City is trying to find this money from other sources.

MSNBC sings the “Cincinnati has bed bugs” song today:

Health officials said the best way to combat the city’s bed bug problem was to raise awareness, and now the whole world knows about the area’s resurgent pests.

But awareness is only one factor in the fight against bed bugs.

MSNBC also notes that while 15% of Cincinnati residents has had bed bugs, only 31% are using licensed pest control specialists to get rid of them.  It is important to understand that licensed PCOs are not necessarily experienced or knowledgeable about bed bugs.  You’d be surprised by how many licensed PCOs still don’t “get” bed bugs.  And don’t forget that even knowledgeable PCOs may be stymied in their bed bug treatment by the inability to treat neighboring units in buildings.  (This may come down to money, tenants’ or landlords’ refusals to have inspections or treatment of adjacent units.)

Inadequate or incomplete bed bug treatment (which likely includes most self-treatment, and probably a lot of professional treatment as well) is likely a key factor in why more than 10 times as many people called the Cincinnati health department in 2008 compared with 2007.

It’s really hard to get rid of bed bugs even if you know what you’re doing.

Public education and the willingness to receive such reports likely accounts for some of it too: how many more people suffered from bed bugs, vs. how many more called the city about the problem (where they might have kept it to themselves).

But come on, Cincinnati!

Don’t you realize citizens and city alike will have much worse financial problems if in 2009, you see a rise in bed bug cases?

And come on, news media!

Let’s put two and two together.  It isn’t enough to be the city that understands the depth of its bed bug problem.  They also have to come through with more than awareness: cold hard cash, legislation, action.Similar Posts:

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This does not seem good. At all.

Cincinnati’s newly approved budget cut $290,000 — a choice which, according to this article in the Cincinnati Enquirer, cancels a bed bug inspection program.

What was approved in the budget?

– $1.8 million for police overtime walking patrols;

– Restoration of the appliance collection service, but for a fee to be researched by the administration and approved later by council;

– $1.8 million expected from the federal government in reimbursement for the September windstorm, to go into emergency reserve savings account;

– $250,000 for renovation of the Clifton Cultural Arts Center;

– $248,000 small business loan for Goodies Barbecue restaurant to open a second location in Price Hill;

– $100,000 the mayor wanted to spend educating people about the importance of their participation in the 2010 census.

I understand money is tight and bed bugs may not seem important to many. But they are. And getting rid of them once they spread further is so much more costly than preventing their spread by catching them early.Similar Posts:

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Renee of New York vs. Bed Bugs is bringing the updates on the Toronto Bed Bug Action Committee Toronto Bed Bug Project here and here, and a rundown on what’s up with the Cincinnati / Hamilton County Joint Bed Bug Task Force Strategic Plan here.

Definitely check out those posts, and the links Renee provides.Similar Posts:

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Why?

Because she’s one of those entomologists who’s telling it like it is, to public officials who want to ignore the bed bug problem. The Columbus Dispatch quoted Jones Tuesday as saying,

“If you bury your head in the sand, you’re going to get bitten, and it’s just going to get worse and worse,” said Susan Jones, an entomology professor at Ohio State University.

And because she’s trying to convince public health officials that bed bugs are a health problem, something many health officials don’t seem to get:

“The question is: Is it a public-health issue or not?” Columbus Health Department spokesman Jose Rodriguez said. “Bedbugs are really looked upon as a nuisance issue.”

OSU’s Jones, however, said scabbing, secondary infections and the anxiety caused by fearing your own bed are serious health concerns.

Amen. It’s not just about the bed bug bites, for crying out loud.

Those alone are often more than a nuisance, but the loss of sleep, anxiety, and loss of money due to treatment or preparations for treatment (which can mean people do not get the food, health care, or other resources they need) can have even more serious health consequences for many.

Susan Jones is involved with the Cincinnati/Hamilton County Joint Bed Bug Task Force.

Code enforcement handles individual complaints, but Jones recommends a centralized master plan.

She suggested a task force that combines the expertise of pest-control, health, code-enforcement and housing agencies. Trends would be easier to spot with all the complaints and treatment numbers in one place, and a task force also could coordinate a publicity campaign to tell people how to stop the spread of bedbugs.

People should seal infested furniture in plastic before disposing of it; travelers ought to check hotel beds for pests; and exterminators need to know that bedbugs are harder to kill than most insects, experts said.

Jones works with a similar task force in Hamilton County. The group was launched after the Cincinnati Health Department received 737 bedbug complaints in 2007 – the same number as for mice, rats and roaches combined.

I wonder how New York City’s bed bug complaints stack up against our complaints for mice /rats / roaches?

The article’s basic focus is on how Columbus / Franklin County, Ohio need to step up their own response to bed bugs.

Well, you know what they say: admitting your city or county has a bed bug problem is the first step towards solving it.
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