Parents warned after bed bugs discovered at three public schools in Revere

Lindsey Thorpe,Daniel Coates
·2 min read
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Health officials in Revere are investigating three separate instances in recent weeks where bed bugs or bed bug bites were found on students.

Revere Public Schools Superintendent Dianne Kelly said in a letter Wednesday, that the students affected by the bugs each go to different schools and don’t live near each other.

It wasn’t immediately made known which schools were affected.

For all three situations, the district contacted the Revere Board of Health for consultation and guidance and professionally treated any classroom (and adjoining classrooms) where bed bugs were present, according to the letter.

The RBOH emphasized that when bed bugs do move from one person to another, they mostly do so via bags or backpacks in a school setting.

As bed bug cases seem to be on the rise, Mass General Hospital’s Dr. Alister Martin is urging parents to regularly check their children’s clothes, backpacks, and bodies for the next several weeks to ensure there are no signs of bed bugs.

Dr. Martin says these bugs do not carry disease and their bites most often don’t require medical treatment. “Typically we prescribe symptomatic treatment medication to reduce the itching to reduce the pain,” he said.

And in extremely rare cases their bites can trigger an allergic reaction. “Shortness of breath, hives, inability to swallow, and vomiting,” said Dr. Martin.

But the stigma around the bug is more harmful than the effect of its bite, according to Dr. Martin.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has several steps parents can take to monitor, prevent, and treat bed bugs on their website.

Some of these steps for monitoring and prevention include:

  • Reducing clutter in offices/cubicles that can provide harborage for pests.

  • Using glue board or other traps to monitor for pests.

  • Identifying all pests by a pest management professional

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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