Students Return From Science Meet With Bed Bugs

A group of high school students visiting Penn State for a science competition say they came home with bed bugs. According to Fox News, the school did have a bed bug problem in one of the dorms. While the school has called in an exterminator, about 40 students from Pittsburgh were exposed to bed bugs. The students came home with their clothes in garbage bags and information about how to prevent the spread of the insects.

Infestation problems

Bed bugs made comeback in the U.S. in 2010. Hotels in New York City were battling a big problem that year, and many homeowners had to use pesticides to kill the incredibly small bugs.

Since then, the small little insects have turned up in offices, homes and bedrooms across the nation and now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people are getting sick from the pesticides used to kill them.

“From 2003 to 2010, 111 people were sickened and one died from bed bug insecticide, the government agency reported in a study that is the first of its kind in the country,” a report stated.  Nearly three quarters of the illnesses occurred from 2008 to 2010 as the bed bug population in the United States increased.

Experts advise caution when using pesticides

While the agency is keeping an eye on the situation, it isn’t a big enough problem for a warning to be issued or an order to restrict the use of pesticides.

Those dealing with a pesticide illness often experience headaches, dizziness, nausea and vomiting and should seek medical attention right away.

At this point the CDC recommends using both non-chemical and chemical approaches to fight bed bugs, including hiring an expert to heat infested rooms to 118 degrees Fahrenheit or cool them to 3 degrees for an hour to kill the bugs.