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Ohio County, WV Health Dept. official: bed bugs “public health nuisance” and “psychological disaster”

nobugsonme — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 16:57:22 +0000

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:

Bed bug Intro. 873 on WNYC today

nobugsonme — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:07:02 +0000

Click here to listen to this brief news item on New York City Council’s Intro. 873 from WNYC news, New York.

The tone of the item is dominated by the Health Department’s reminder that bed bugs are only “a stressful and unpleasant nuisance,” and that the health department already has a page on its website about bed bugs, and that “the Department of Housing, Preservation and Development takes complaints, performs inspections and issues violation summonses when appropriate.”

Yes, and the city’s response to bed bugs so far has been so effective that bed bugs are (somehow, still) spreading at an alarming rate. I judge this only by the reports to HPD, since we don’t have a more complete set of data.

Some cities, like Cincinnati (well, okay — only Cincinnati), actually attempt to find out what percentage of their inhabitants have (or have had) bed bugs. The answer — in Cincinnati? 14.5%.

I would not be surprised if a similar percentage of New Yorkers had been afflicted with bed bugs.

But the way things are going, we will never know, because we are completely in denial about it and no one is asking the question and therefore we don’t have to deal with the answer.

As a general rule, I don’t wish bed bugs on anyone. Not even my worst enemy.

But I do wish a knowledge of what it is like to have bed bugs on those who feel they are merely “a stressful and unpleasant nuisance.” Lice are a stressful and unpleasant nuisance. Detected and treated, they usually do not trouble a person for more than a few days.

We regularly hear from people in New York, Cincinnati, London, Boston, Vancouver, and all points in-between who are getting bed bug treatment and yet are troubled by bed bugs for weeks and even months on end.

They lose a lot of sleep.
They suffer a lot of stress.
They use money — often thousands of dollars which should go to health insurance, or medications, or buying vegetables for their kids — to pay for treatment, endless rounds of laundry, plastic bags, and more treatment.
They get their belongings gassed with sulfuryl flouride.
They sometimes have to move.
They go to job interviews with red welts all over their faces and remain unemployed.
They stop having friends and family over, for fear others will become infested.
Those in multi-unit buildings who cannot afford to move may never get rid of the problem.

Think this causes very real psychological and physical health problems? You bet.
It is a lot worse than a nuisance.
The health effects of bed bugs are often a lot more serious than a bit of stress.

In this economy, in this expensive city, the Health Department is being a bit short-sighted not to see the potential of any problem that causes ongoing stress and saps one’s financial resources as a genuine health concern.

Bed bug public art project: your participation requested!

nobugsonme — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 20:00:14 +0000

An art student who has had bed bugs is doing a project related to her experience. And she would like you to participate!

Dannon writes:

I’m an undergraduate art student and former (I hope) bed bug victim living in Chicago. Dealing with the bugs in my apartment this fall was a fairly traumatic experience, as I’m sure you and your readers will agree. I’m currently working on a project that I’d like to share with the Bedbugger community. The bedbug infestation brought on feelings of shame for me–though I now realize many suffer in the same way, I avoided telling anyone outside my family for fear of judgment and ridicule. I’m really fascinating by the community that has developed on your blog. Though you operate anonymously, there’s a feeling of camaraderie, which must help many get through the hard times.

I’m interested in recreating, or at least echoing, those emotions in the real world. Inspired in part by old hobo symbols, I’ve screen-printed an image of a bed bug on adhesive labels that I’ve used to tag the exterior wall of my building in the pattern of my first cluster of bed bug bites. I hope this will act as both a warning and a sign of solidarity for others who recognize the bug. Ideally, I’d like to send out stickers to fellow Bedbuggers who would then tag their buildings as well, even for just a few days, and document the process. As bedbugs get more press, I hope recognition of the problem will remove some of the shame, and I hope my project helps in some small, anonymous way. A side note: the stickers are standard mailing labels, so they will not be permanent or cause damage to the building.

Some more specifics on documentation: I’d like any participants who are willing to document the process in photo or video. The most important part is a close-up of the arrangement of stickers on the wall, but images/footage of people putting them up would also be appreciated. You don’t need to show your face or any identifying characteristics of your building. I will be including the documentation with the final presentation of my project and hope to eventually create a web site. I’d like to identify any documentation I receive by city and Bedbugger username, but I can leave off the name if necessary.

Would you be interested in either posting my project on the blog or somewhere in the forum where it would get the attention of readers. Bedbugger.com is the best place I could think of to get the word out to to my fellow bedbug victims. My Bedbugger username is Dannon, if you need the information. I’m based in Chicago, but I’m willing to mail stickers anywhere in the continental U.S.

If any readers are interested in participating, please email me at d [dot] nafis [AT] gmail [DOT] com and include your Bedbugger username (optional), your city of residence (include neighborhood or borough if it applies), your address and how many sheets of stickers you would like (they come 6/sheet). I promise I won’t give away your address or use it for anything unsavory, but if you are really hesitant to give out your address, I can email you a pdf of my original model for you to print out yourself, though this won’t look quite the same as the stickers featured in my photos.

If you are curious about other projects created for this class, please check out our flickr site.

Thanks for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.

The photos in this post show Dannon with her bed bug stickers.

Remember, to get involved or find out more, email Dannon at the provided email address.

But it would also be great to hear in the comments who’s planning to do this! If anyone wants to share photos with us too, they would be welcomed.

Dannon, thanks for inviting us to be involved. Good luck, and we look forward to seeing the results of this intriguing project. It will no doubt raise awareness of the bed bug issue, and that is always good.

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