Monroe County health experts warning of an uptick in bedbug cases
LA CROSSE, Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) – Local health experts say they’ve been seeing a rise in bed bug cases in one county. First News at Nine’s Dashal Mentzel explains how bed bugs can get in your home and how to get rid of them.
Bedbugs are small, flat, wingless insects that feed on human and animal blood usually during the night. The Monroe County Health Department says they have been receiving more sightings of these insects in the last month. Nurse Supervisor, Kelsey Hanson, explains, “We are getting an increase in reports about community-acquired bedbugs, specifically in multi-unit housing complexes. So, like, apartment buildings, hotels, things like that because a lot of them share walls, they share vents, ductwork, electrical. So, if one unit has it, it’s being reported in adjacent units.”
Hanson says one thing that can cause the spread of bedbugs is when homeowners buy used furniture, “When people are bringing in secondhand items into their homes if they’re not cleaned properly right away, they can have bedbugs on them. And then that’s how they transfer from place to place a lot of the times.”
Bedbugs are not considered a health hazard because they do not spread diseases, but they can still be a nuisance with bites that can cause welts and other problems. The bite is similar to a mosquito’s. Hanson says, “It’s like an analgesic. So, you don’t wake up from it. You don’t realize you’ve been bitten. If you have a really serious infestation that you can be bit up to 500 times in a night. It can create allergic reactions if someone is really allergic.”
If you have bedbugs in your home, some ways to get rid of them are to wash and dry your clothes, vacuum and steam furniture, and clean up clutter around the house. In La Crosse, Dashal Mentzel First News at Nine.
A good way to know if you have an infestation is to look for live bedbugs and bedbug skins on your mattress.
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