If Grandma is in a nursing home, you might want to be extra vigilant when you pay a visit. According to a report on National Public Radio, there has been a sharp increase in the number of bed bug infestations in these facilities.
An industry survey shows that nearly 60 percent of responding pest control professionals have discovered bed bugs in nursing homes over the past year. That number is up from 46 percent in 2013.
Other medical facilities have seen more modest increases. Bed bugs were seen in hospitals by 36 percent of exterminators, compared to a previous total of 33 percent. The number for doctors’ offices was 33 percent, up from 26 percent.
Dr. Silvia Munoz-Price studies infection control in medical facilities as an epidemiologist at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She attributes the higher incidence of bed bugs in nursing homes to an influx of people bringing their own belongings, unwittingly giving the pests a free ride.
New York exterminator Billy Swan adds that the lack of pesticide use in nursing homes is another contributing factor. Hospitals receive more frequent cleanings and they are usually brightly lit, making it easier to spot bed bugs before they can spread.
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