It was not the worst segment we’ve seen, not by a long shot.

It was great to see that Rachael Ray spent the first fourteen minutes of her show on this important topic. It is crucial that everyone learns about bed bugs, and I am glad to see the focus on them here. No doubt many people will know more about bed bugs because of this segment.

I was also glad to see the range of information provided – the emphasis on how bed bugs will hide in the smallest cracks, how they can live in your home (not just in your bed), and the detailed footage of Nathalie’s bed bug prep (including 15 loads of laundry being dried on hot by each of the two bedbugged roommates). Nathalie also drives home the point that a bed bug experience is expensive (she estimated $1000 for materials and treatment).

That said, there were some points which were erroneous or not quite right:

First, as the partial recap on the Rachael Ray site notes,

Dr. Ian Smith reassures [bed bug sufferer Nathalie] that bed bugs may be disgusting, but there are no real health consequences,

The World Health Organization would probably reject that statement. They recently produced a publication stating that noted,

Besides the effects of direct bites, airborne common bedbug allergens that are always released during infestations may produce bronchial asthma. Within a group of 54 asthmatic Egyptian patients, 37.1% reacted positively to a common bedbug head and thorax extract, and 50.1% reacted positively to an abdominal common bedbug extract (Abou Gamra et al., 1991). Numerous routine bedbug bites can contribute to anaemia and may even make a person more susceptible to common diseases (Usinger, 1966; Snetsinger, 1997). Some people can develop a general malaise from numerous bedbug bites; that, along with the loss of sleep and extreme itching of bug bites, can lower a person’s vitality
and make individuals listless and almost constantly uncomfortable.

PDF download: The Public Health Significance of Urban Pests, 2008: 138-139.

Bed bugs are not currently known to spread infectious diseases. But bed bugs can lead to health problems ranging from the very common itchy skin rashes, anxiety and lack of sleep, to (in rare cases) anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction.

Viewers were also told about treatment:

Bed bugs won’t go away on their own, but if you catch them early you can avoid an infestation.

That’s true, but, then the program then went on to suggest self-treatment as a first option:

Start with inexpensive sprays and dusts from the hardware store to treat the affected areas. “Some work, some don’t work; it’s really trial and error,” Dr. Ian says. “When you use a spray at home, you also have to use the dust [spray] because the dust will get into the cracks and crevasses where the spray doesn’t get into and the dust will last longer. So it’s a combo deal!”

I don’t agree that people should start by self-treating in most cases, and I don’t think people should be encouraged to rush out and apply sprays and dusts; if someone is going to do their own bed bug treatment, they need to research the methodoloy and health precautions. People commonly misapply the dust diatomaceous earth, a potentially useful tool which can be a health risk if inhaled into your lungs and which may not be effective at killing bed bugs if misapplied.

And on the question of “catching the infestation early,” let’s face it — most people with bed bugs think they have a small infestation and that they caught it early. We hear from people who assume this because they have not seen bed bugs, or have seen only one or a few, even we know though you can have a good number of bed bugs before ever seeing one or a few. Other people may assume they have not been bitten or just started being bitten by bed bugs. I so wish Dr. Ian Smith had pointed out that many people do not react at all to bed bug bites. You can be bitten quite a lot without ever reacting, and we have heard other people go on being bitten for a while with no reaction, before eventually reacting quite a bit (in some cases, seemingly reacting all-at-once to multiple bites).

In other words, many people are in a poor position to judge how small or new their infestation is. And it’s a common story for people claiming small, early infestations to need multiple careful treatments from a professional who knows how to get rid of bed bugs, before the problem is finally gone.

The Rachel Ray show did show a sample of live bed bugs, and noted the difference between “babies” and adults. Not a perfect explanation of the life stages, but better than most media reports, which only show an adult bed bug. Unfortunately, Dr. Ian Smith said bed bugs were “brown-black” and “about the the size of a pencil eraser,” which may throw off many people, before he later showed some younger, smaller nymphs.

Much more should be done by those in the media to demonstrate the relative life stages of bed bugs, and the appearance of the smallest first instar nymphs before and after feeding. Lou Sorkin’s photos of bed bug life stages, including the comparative photos of fed and unfed nymphs shown on our Bed Bug Photos page,) are a great place to start.

The show talked about tools including encasements (which Dr. Smith called “sealants”), the Packtite, and the Bed Bug Registry, though Dr. Ian Smith was a bit misleading in presenting the website in the following way:

“The EPA just had it’s first-ever bed bug conference because it’s such a problem, and they now have a website bedbugregistry.com where you can find out whether or not there’s an issue in your city.”

First, it sounds like the EPA runs the Bed Bug Registry, which of course, it doesn’t.

Secondly, it implies that if “there’s an issue in your city,” you can find out on the registry.

That’s not necessarily true, and this is an important point – we have heard people who were surprised to have bed bugs in a new home or hotel because it had received no listing on the Bed Bug Registry. In fact, you will only see bed bug reports for your city, town, hotel, or building if someone reported them there; registry users are a self-selecting group, and though the site continues to grow and thrive, most people probably do not know it exists, or don’t add their listings for other reasons.

Another annoyance: when the show displayed an image of a heavily-stained mattress (far and away the most bed bug feces I’ve seen on a mattress, ever), Dr. Ian Smith said, “now that’s an infestation,” as if a much less serious case of bed bugs was not “an infestation.” Smith is right that it is an obvious case of neglect, where someone really is not paying attention, but I don’t agree the term “bed bug infestation” should only be applied in the most severe cases.

If the term “infestation” is to be so-used, then give us a new word for a bed bug issue (which may be as small as one bed bug, ten, or fifty). Some suggestions in this comment thread, where we deal with the “infestation” terminology.

And did you play bed bug bingo as you watched, like some forum participants?

All in all, I have to stress I am impressed with the length of this segment and the value of much information presented. I appreciated the human segment which was fairly well-presented. (Incidentally, Nathalie, one of the two bedbugged roommates, said she worked as a bed bug researcher and writer for M&M Environmental, a NYC firm that treats for bed bugs!)

But I can’t help wishing that the news media would take more advantage of bed bug experts, including the more relevant “doctors,” — Dr. Michael Potter, Dr. Louis Sorkin, Dr. Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann, and others — entomologists who study bed bugs and who are much more qualified to help the public understand the key issues surrounding bed bugs.

Update 10/31:

We knew Nathalie worked for M&M. However, you may have seen her face before; she did a series of youtube videos for M&M about various pest control issues, including bed bugs, some of which are included in this forum post.Similar Posts:

• Rachael Ray to feature bed bug segment on Friday
• New York Mayor Bloomberg signs Bed Bug Advisory Board legislation
• Colleges react to bed bugs: Loyola (Chicago), Boston University, Brigham Young (Hawaii)
• Bed bugs in the media: David Cain on British radio, Dr. Susan Jones in the Plain Dealer
• Johnson City’s John Sevier Apartments tenants get new mattresses

The following story is  quite awful to read.

Foster’s Daily Democrat reports from Dover, New Hampshire that

A local man has been forced to leave his Tuttle Square apartment after falling victim to what the health inspector called the worst bedbug infestation he has seen in the city.

“As soon as I pulled back the sheet, I could see them scurry,” Health Inspector John Carlson said.

Juanita Fehrmann said she first discovered that her brother’s apartment was infested with bedbugs when he came to her Rochester home during the July 4 weekend.

Her 38-year-old brother, who she asked not to be identified, suffers from schizophrenia and epilepsy, Fehrmann said. Although he refuses to take medication for his schizophrenia, he does take several medications for his other condition.

“He took out his pill bottle and dumped out his pills and a bug fell out on my table and he brushed it on my floor,” Fehrmann said. “So I got a napkin and picked up and said, ‘This looks like a tick.’ And he said, ‘Oh don’t worry, that’s just a bedbug and they’re friendly.’”

The man’s sister reports he suffered from extensive bed bug bites and scars.

The story reminds us of the need for support for people with mental and physical limitations, who may not recognize bed bugs (or as in this case, may not recognize what a serious problem bed bugs are), and may not be able to take the required action once they are identified.

When it comes to bed bugs, “no man is an island.”  We need to make sure everyone has safe and bed bug-free accommodations.  For everyone’s sake.

Read the full story here: Driven out by bedbugs : Worst case Dover health inspector has seen in the city – Fosters.Similar Posts:

• Depot Square in St. Johnsbury, VT: 39 of 47 units infested
• Horrific story from Ottawa: bed bug sufferer overdoses
• Scholastic Headquarters treated for bed bugs; update on Penguin
• Bed bugs infest multiple areas of New York’s John Jay College (CUNY)
• Never assume the tenant who complains about bed bugs is the only tenant with bed bugs

Fox 28 reports that an Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department official says about 100 apartments at a Wheeling, West Virginia complex are infested with bedbugs.

What struck me in the article was this:

Health department Administrator Howard Gamble calls bedbugs a public health nuisance and a psychological  disaster for the people who are affected.

“A public health nuisance and a psychological disaster for the people who are affected.”

While some health officials still insist bed bugs are not a health problem at all, it is refreshing to see such a claim.

For some, we know, the psychological cost of a bed bug infestation is negligible.

But for many of us — including those whose reactions to bed bug bites are extremely uncomfortable and difficult to diagnose; for those who battle bed bugs for months or even years and lose time, money, sleep, and well-being; for those whose unaffected roommates or relatives think they are imagining things — for so many of us, calling a bed bug infestation a “psychological disaster” is decidedly not a hyperbole.

Bravo, Howard Gamble.

See the full story at WVa apartment complex infested with bedbugs: WTTE FOX 28 – Ohio News.Similar Posts:

• San Diego State University: don’t wait for students to show you a bed bug
• Toronto municipal councillor pushes for bed bugs to be declared a health hazard
• More bed bug treatments in Lexington’s Ballard Griffith senior apartments
• Halifax tenants dealing with with bed bugs and unsympathetic health department
• Towels under the door: when cities abandon tenants with bed bugs

The Social Q’s etiquette column in the New York Times covered a bed bug issue Thursday.  The anonymous letter writer said,

My brother has bedbugs. He told our mother and made her promise not to tell me. But she called me immediately. Apparently, he hasn’t told his landlady or called an exterminator, or done anything to contain their spread.

We are all going on a family trip soon. The bedbugs will surely be among his belongings and will set up camp in the home of the relative we’re staying with, and perhaps find their way back to my place.

Although the answer from columnist Philip Galanes was more about the issue of mom spilling the beans on the brother’s secret than anything else, the answer was clear: brother’s refusal to deal with bed bugs (and therefore the possibility he would infest everyone on the upcoming trip) was not acceptable, and the letter writing sister needs to step in and help him grab the bed bug bull by the horns.

See: Social Q’s – A Secret, Itching to Be Told – NYTimes.com.

Bed bugs also appeared in in the Business column On the Road on Monday ,  and in the Patient Money column last Friday.

Given how concerned the New York Times seems to be with bed bugs right now (bed bugs in hotels, bed bugs and etiquette, bed bugs and health/finance), why won’t someone in the “official” media mention the tiny issue of the still-unfilled NYC Bed Bug Advisory Board?Similar Posts:

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Several dorm rooms at the University of Manitoba are infested with bed bugs; they’re undergoing treatment, and residents have been relocated to temporary accommodation.

While university officials here are “taking the issue very seriously,” according to CBC, they’re also assuring the media that bed bugs are “not a health risk” (as officials almost always do).

But universities should take note: bed bugs are stressful.  They cause anxiety and make people lose a lot of sleep.  Bed bug bites can cause intense itching and sometimes more serious allergic reactions.  They can make people miserable.

Magali Leveille told CBC News, bed bugs made her want to drop out of her program at the university:

Leveille moved to Winnipeg from Montreal to brush up on her English through a program at the university that includes accommodations at the campus. The program brings in students from Canada and abroad that want to improve their English language skills.

Some say the bed bug experience has ruined the program.

“With me, I just want to go home, and I’m just upset about that, and it’s enough,” said Leveille. “The bed bugs, it’s really not funny, and I don’t want to be in the program anymore.”

[Emphasis added.]

Note: we have heard from many students dealing with bed bugs on the Bedbugger Forums.

And infested dorms are often the best case scenario; students living in private rented accommodations often have less hope of seeing the problem sorted out; they are often new to the world of rented apartments, don’t know where to turn for advice, and usually receive no assistance from their colleges in dealing with deadbeat landlords.

Some are thinking of dropping out of their programs.  Some are failing exams.  Some are suffering from extreme anxiety and depression.

If that doesn’t ring parents’ and university administrators’ warning bells about bed bugs, I am not sure what will.

See the full article here: University of Manitoba residence fumigated for bed bugs.Similar Posts:

• University of Central Missouri (and other Missouri colleges) vs. bed bugs
• More bed bugs at Wilkes University (in University Towers apartments)
• Bed bugs — and bed bug legislation — in the news
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• Back to school: news media focuses on bed bugs in college dorms

Bed bugs are covered by some local newspapers every week.  But some syndicated stories reach a lot of readers.

One compelling story from the Springdale Gardens Apartments in Austin, Texas appeared on Wednesday on KVUE.com (click to read story or see video).

Yahoo! News picked up the video from the KVUE story on Friday, where it doubtless got many more viewers.  And Yahoo! accompanied this with a McClatchy syndicated news story (which appeared in papers all over the US on Friday) about the resurgence of bed bugs, and the recently reintroduced Butterfield Bill, the Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite Act of 2009:

Democratic Rep. G.K. Butterfield just introduced legislation that would authorize $50 million that’s already in the Department of Commerce budget to train health inspectors how to recognize signs of the insects.

The Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite Act of 2009 also would require public housing agencies to submit bedbug inspection plans to the federal government. It would add bedbugs to a rodent and cockroach program in the Department of Health and Human Services . It also would require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to research bedbugs’ impact on public mental health.

Butterfield’s letter to congressional colleagues about the legislation attracted lots of attention: It was topped with a full-color picture of the insect sitting on human skin.

“Unfortunately, in recent years, the United States has seen a resurgence in bedbugs,” the letter reads. “That’s right — they’re back in the sack — and biting.”

There is much more discussion of the bill in the news this time around, and — though libertarian news sites in particular enjoy jumping on this kind of bill — there’s a lot less snark and sniggering on the ‘net about the bill than there was last year.

I love how Dr. Michael Potter (of the University of Kentucky) puts the health issues caused by bed bugs in the spotlight:

“Most health departments say, ‘Hey, we don’t deal with bedbugs,’ ” Potter said.

Those who’ve suffered outbreaks say that the anxiety it induces can be debilitating. Potter said many sufferers tossed out furniture and could spend thousands of dollars on repeated treatments from pesticide companies. They call him about anxiety, insomnia, shame and the incessant annoyance of itchy red welts on their skin.

“They’re, like, ready to blow their brains out,” Potter said. “It’s emotionally distressing. Anyone that has never had a bedbug problem is not one to judge whether we’re dealing with a medical, emotional public health issue.”

Did you catch that?

Yes, Dr. Potter said, “Anyone that has never had a bedbug problem is not one to judge whether we’re dealing with a medical, emotional public health issue.”

Go Dr. Michael Potter!

In fact, anyone watching the video from Austin of stressed-out mom Sommer Jackson showing off bite marks on her adorable infant, or Sommer’s neighbor Laketra Jackson who threw out all her bedding and still has bed bugs, should get that this problem is a big deal.

See: Boom in tiny bedbugs is causing big trouble.Similar Posts:

• Steven Kells: bed bugs “could almost be considered like a disease themselves”
• University of Manitoba student rooms infested with bed bugs
• Soundbites from the EPA National Bed Bug Summit
• Bed bugs bite in Edmonton sleep disorder clinic
• Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite Act of 2009: new and improved

We are happy that Renee of New York vs Bed Bugs alerted us to the news that Baltimore is now implementing a bed bug control strategy, which includes

• bed bug inspections,
• training for Baltimore City Health Department Healthy Homes Division staff in detection and control of bed bugs,
• development of English- and Spanish-language educational materials, as well as several Spanish-language outreach campaigns, and (as Renee writes)

training Baltimore City public housing maintenance and management staff and, apparently, impressing upon them “the need to immediately respond to bed bug complaints.”

For more, see Baltimore’s Bed Bug Response Plan.

Baltimore City Health Department has a bed bug page, which lets readers know what to do in case they suspect bed bugs.  Unfortunately, at this time it only mentions what “homeowners” should do.

It is crucial, in my mind, that local fact sheets direct renters as to what they should do when they suspect bed bugs.

Also, the fact sheet advises:

Avoid “insecticide bombs” and “foggers” in your home. These products can spread hazardous chemicals throughout your home.

It is correct that people with bed bugs should avoid “bombs” and “foggers” when treating bed bugs.  But the reasons are not just related to the spread of chemicals.  In some cases, they are a fire hazard.

But as important is the fact that entomologists tell us bombs and foggers can disperse bed bugs and drive them deeper into our homes.  They’re specifically a bad idea with bed bugs for this reason.

Still, we are very glad Baltimore has a bed bug page and that they’re taking coordinated action to reduce the spread of bed bugs, and help citizens learn how to identify and get rid of the problem.

The bed bug page also provides links at the top to download PDFs of the press release, Baltimore’s bed bug plan, the EPA bed bug fact sheet in English and Spanish.

Update (4/27): and now the Baltimore Sun catches up with New York vs. Bed Bugs, reporting about the new Baltimore bed bug plan and website.Similar Posts:

• Bed bugs in the media: David Cain on British radio, Dr. Susan Jones in the Plain Dealer
• Towels under the door: when cities abandon tenants with bed bugs
• Bed bug education event on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast Tuesday focused on prevention and IPM
• Room for Debate on bed bugs: a must-read!
• Interview with Sam Bryks on Integrated Pest Management; also, we learn about the origins of Bug n’ Scrub

Jane Brody reports in the New York Times Health section today about the spread of bed bugs, and their effects on health.  Of course, she mentions the recent JAMA report, and the fact that bed bugs are not yet known to spread contagious diseases.

Brody outlines the varying effects of bed bug bites:

Most people who are bitten by bed bugs do not react. Of the 30 percent or so who do, many mistake the small, pink, itchy bumps for mosquito bites, although people may become more suspicious and more sensitive with repeated bites.

People who are highly sensitive react with intense itching that prompts scratching and can lead to infections. One Brooklyn family did not know they were sharing quarters with bed bugs until a sensitive relative visited and woke in the morning with very itchy bites.

Still others may experience more extreme reactions, including asthma, generalized hives, and even a life-threatening allergy (anaphylaxis) that requires emergency treatment with epinephrine.

But most bed bug lesions can be treated with an anti-itch product like calamine lotion or a topical or oral corticosteroid and antihistamine. If bites become infected, a topical or oral antibiotic may be needed.

Brody also mentions that a “family living in a $3 million private house in Brooklyn discarded rooms’ worth of furniture” due to bed bugs.

The percentage of people reacting to bites is often cited as being anywhere from 50-70%.

Regardless, all bitten by bed bugs are hit financially, if not physically. (And I’ve said time and again, if you are short of money, this can have a clear and definite negative impact on your health.)

And anxiety?  Stress? Lack of sleep?

More or less ubiquitous among bed bug sufferers, along with the hole bed bugs bite through your wallet.

via Personal Health – Keeping Those Bed Bugs From Biting – NYTimes.com.Similar Posts:

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• Bed bugs in the media: David Cain on British radio, Dr. Susan Jones in the Plain Dealer
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• Megan McArdle on Atlantic.com: bed bugs and Craigslist

Renee of New York vs. Bed Bugs has more details on the upcoming EPA National Bed Bug Summit (April 14-15) in Arlington, VA):

Sharon Heath of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will speak at EPA’s National Bed Bug Summit on April 14. It’s a portion of the session titled “How Public Health Agencies View Bed Bug Infestations,” with Mike Herring from CDC, Dr. Camille Jones from the Cincinnati Health Department and Sarah Norman from Baltimore City Health Department.

and…

EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs has made the meeting agenda (PDF) available. Topics include bed bug basics, impact on public and private housing, control methods and challenges and the government response to bed bugs.

For the details, and the links to the agenda and details on the webinar broadcast, see NYC Department of Health at National Bed Bug Summit (plus agenda and webinar details).Similar Posts:

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Renee of New York vs. Bed Bugs alerted readers to this story from KARE11.com. It’s yet another response to the new JAMA report, but we appreciated this approach:

There is some good news. A new study this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) says when bit by a bed bug, most people have little to no reaction and bed bugs don’t appear to transmit human disease.

But Kells says, “Although they don’t transmit diseases, they could almost be considered like a disease themselves.”

He says because they’re tough to get rid of, bed bugs cause a lot of psychological stress.

He says, “We’ve had people who have become very sleepless or wake up regularly to see if they have bedbugs feeding on them.”

Thank you for conveying that, Dr. Steven Kells.

Sleeplessness, the itchy effects of bed bug bites, and anxiety: all part of the bed bug program.

You can watch the rest of the KARE11 spot here:

from KARE11.com.
Similar Posts:

• Ohio County, WV Health Dept. official: bed bugs “public health nuisance” and “psychological disaster”
• Bed bugs on the rise in Detroit
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• Bed bugs — and bed bug legislation — in the news