12/11/2011 New Way To Disinfect Hospitals Of Bedbugs

Toronto: A new technique would not only disinfect hospitals worldwide but also stop bed bug outbreaks.

“This is the future, because many hospital deaths are preventable with better cleaning methods,” said Dick Zoutman, researcher at the Queen`s University.

“It has been reported that more than 100,000 people in North America die every year due to hospital acquired infections at a cost of $30 billion. That`s 100,000 people every year who are dying from largely preventable infections,” Zoutman added.

The new technology involves pumping a ozone and hydrogen peroxide vapour gas mixture into a room to completely sterilize everything – including floors, walls, drapes, mattresses, chairs and other surfaces.

“It is far more effective in killing bacteria than wiping down a room. He has also used this technology to kill bed bugs,” said Zoutman, according to a university statement.

A major US hotel chain has already expressed interest in the technology because of its potential to save the company millions of dollars in lost revenue and infected furniture.

Zoutman worked with Michael Shannon of Medizone International located in Innovation Park, Queen`s University.

Medizone is commercializing the technology and the first deliveries are scheduled for the first quarter of 2012.

Continue Reading More: New Way To Disinfect Hospitals Of Bedbugs

11/19/2011 Bedbugs Found At West Virginia Hospital: Cabell Huntington Hospital Treats Six Patient Rooms

Cabell Huntington Hospital treated six patient rooms for bedbugs on Wednesday after the nursing staff discovered the bugs in one room.

On Tuesday evening, the hospital’s nursing staff became aware of an isolated incident in a single patient’s room, according to Charles Shumaker, Cabell Huntington Hospital’s media and community relations manager.

“By Wednesday morning a professional exterminator was treating six rooms, five of which were a precaution because they surrounded the room that was affected,” Shumaker said.

The rooms reopened to patients on Friday morning, he said.

Since the rooms have been cleaned, the hospital hasn’t had any additional issues reported, Shumaker said.

“Just because they find a bedbug or a couple [bugs] in a room does not mean the hospital is infested with bedbugs. It doesn’t mean that at all,” said Anita Ray, director of environmental health at the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department. “Institutions where that can be a real problem are homeless shelters and anywhere you would have a dormitory situation.”

Ray said she has not had bedbug reports from any hospitals in Charleston but she has had bedbug discoveries in apartment buildings, shelters and motels in the past couple years.

While he said he isn’t sure how often the hospital encounters bedbugs in their patient’s rooms, Shumaker assures that the problem has been taken care of since the initial report.

“I’m not aware of any other incidents. What it amounts to is a pest-control issue, not an epidemic,” he said.

Calls to Saint Francis Hospital, Thomas Memorial Hospital and Charleston Area Medical Center were not immediately returned on Friday.

Continue Reading More: Bedbugs Found At West Virginia Hospital

11/14/2011 Bedbugs Found At Denver Health ICU

An insect expert is monitoring the Medical Intensive Care Unit at Denver Health after bed bugs popped up this week.

A hospital spokesperson tells us that a patient carried the critters into the hospital on Wednesday.

Workers thoroughly cleaned the area and threw away the patient’s mattress.

A close inspection showed no more bed bugs but two other small bugs of unknown origin were discovered.

Denver Health brought in an outside team to investigate those other bugs and they say it’s not a sign of a bigger problem.

Continue Reading More/Watching Video: Bedbugs Found At Denver Health ICU

10/19/2011 Bedbug Report Shows Treatment For Infestations Way Up

The pest management community has once again weighed in on a topic that for many Americans causes concern and embarrassment: bed bugs. The 2010 survey gave the American public insight into the bed bug resurgence in a way no other survey had before. In 2011, the U.S. pest management industry offers its unique perspective on just how extensive the bed bug invasion is and whether circumstances have improved or gotten worse in the past year. This report highlights the key findings obtained from more than 400 pest management professionals who participated in this survey.
The Resurgence Continues. The survey reveals that nearly every pest management professional (99 percent) — from coast to coast — has encountered a bed bug infestation over the past 12 months, compared to the 95 percent who reported bed bug encounters in 2010. The survey further reveals that bed bug infestations are continuing to rise, a trend noticed by more than eight out of 10 survey respondents (84 percent). This increase is consistent with findings from the 2010 survey.

The respondents had varying opinions to explain the increase in bed bug infestations, pointing to a surge in travel, a lack of public awareness and too few precautionary measures being taken. Many respondents also mentioned changes in pest control products and methods and the bugs’ resistance to some available pesticides.

The majority of respondents — six out of 10 — reported that infestations are a year-round phenomenon, seeing no seasonal influence to the pest. However, 25 percent of professionals indicated they saw a spike in reports during the summer. As people tend to travel more during the summer months, it’s possible that more people will unknowingly transport bed bugs to their residences after picking them up on vacation.
Just About Everywhere. While nine out of 10 respondents have treated bed bugs in apartments, condominiums and single-family homes in 2011 and 2010, in the past year bed bug encounters have become more commonly reported in many other places. For example, PMPs report seeing large increases in the number of bed bug encounters in college dorms, hotels, nursing homes, office buildings, schools and daycare centers, hospitals, public transportation and movie theaters compared to last year. More specifically, many places experienced double-digit growth from a year ago, including:

• College dorms (54 percent, up from 35 percent a year ago)
• Hotels/motels (80 percent, up from 67 percent a year ago)
• Nursing homes (46 percent, up from 25 percent a year ago)
• Office buildings (38 percent, up from 17 percent a year ago)
• Schools and day care centers (36 percent, up from 10 percent a year ago)
• Transportation (train/bus/taxi) (18 percent up from nine percent a year ago)
• Hospitals (31 percent, up from 12 percent a year ago)
• Movie theaters (17 percent, up from four percent a year ago)

Additionally, in this year’s survey, 21 percent of PMPs reported treating bed bugs in retail stores.
Public Attitudes. Bed bugs are widely reviled by consumers who get them. In fact, nearly every respondent (98 percent) described bed bug customers as upset and concerned. The most frequent description was “very” concerned (78 percent).

The respondents report one-quarter of their bed bug customers (25 percent) attempted to treat these pests prior to calling a pest control professional. A year ago, the comparable figure was substantially higher (38 percent), suggesting that in this arena the DIY approach is becoming less popular.

Consumers who do try to eradicate bed bugs often use methods that are both ineffective and dangerous. The respondents offered myriad examples, including the excessive and improper use of insecticides (especially “bug bombs” and foggers); the use of unregistered products; resorting to extreme measures such as propane heaters and open flame; and the application of inappropriate, often flammable chemicals, such as bleach, kerosene, alcohol, gasoline or diesel fuel. The respondents also observed many customers either do not read the instructions-for-use on insecticide packaging — or simply ignore them. Similar findings from 2010 fostered a conclusion still valid today: When it comes to treating bed bugs, consumers would benefit from more education and help from a professional.
Finding and Treating. Used almost universally, visual inspection continues to be the most popular method of finding bed bugs. The respondents noted, however, that other methods are significantly more popular today than they were a year ago. These include passive traps, pitfall traps and canine scent detection, with the latter showing the greatest gain.

Once bed bugs are found, nearly all pest management professionals (99 percent) report using insecticides to treat for bed bugs. Many respondents use mattress encasements or have clients launder the infested items. Fewer respondents — but still more than half — use vacuums or dispose of infested items entirely.

When it comes to controlling infestations, bed bugs continue to be the most difficult pest to treat, according to 73 percent of survey respondents. By comparison, 17 percent pointed to ants, nine percent said cockroaches and one percent said termites were the most difficult pests to control.
Pesticides. Pesticides are available to pest management professionals in a variety of formulations. Liquids and dusts are by far the most popular. Fewer respondents use aerosols, insecticide-impregnated resin strips and fumigants. Very few use total release foggers. Furthermore, although many respondents still use pyrethroids, the two most widely used products contain chlorfenapyr, a non-pyrethroid, and a new product containing β-cyfluthrin and imidacloprid.

Satisfaction with insecticides is relatively high. Three out of four respondents (77 percent) are very or somewhat satisfied with the insecticides they use, a modest gain from a year ago (68 percent). Four out of 10 respondents (41 percent) said they never seem to encounter a bed bug population resistant to insecticides. Last year, the comparable figure was lower at one out of three (34 percent).
All in a Few Days’ Work. In a typical residential setting, eight out of 10 respondents can control a bed bug infestation in two or three visits, with the initial visit lasting almost three hours. Here, little has changed since 2010.

Given the increase in bed bug infestations noted earlier, it is hardly surprising that many respondents report their bed bug service work is up by more than 50 percent. Also up over 2010 is the percentage of revenue bed bugs contribute to the bottom line for pest management firms, an average of five percent in 2011 compared with 3.6 percent in 2010.
Best Management Practices. The majority of respondents (78 percent) currently follow the Best Management Practices for bed bugs developed by the NPMA. Fewer than three out of 10, however, needed to alter their bed bug services as a result of the BMPs.

Continue Reading More: Bedbug Report Shows Treatment For Infestations Way Up

8/26/2011 NJ Senate Passes Aggressive Bedbug Bill: Overnight Facilities Would Be Required To Have A Plan To Combat Critters

 The state Senate passed a bill that would require facilities such as hospitals, hotels, nursing homes and assisted living facilities, boarding house and homeless shelters to have a bedbug maintenance plan in place.

The legislation (S-2543) is sponsored by state Sen. Robert Singer (R-Ocean) and passed by a 35-1 vote today.

“Any facility where people stay overnight should have a plan in place, ready to be carried out at a moments notice should bedbugs be discovered, ” Singer said. “Senior citizens, hospital patients and tourists throughout New Jersey all have a right to know that the bed they are sleeping in is clean, safe and free of bedbugs.”

“Bedbugs are a formidable pest problem that must be dealt with swiftly and efficiently, ” Singer continued. “It is in everyone’s best interest to have a comprehensive plan in place to keep people safe.”

Continue Reading More: NJ Senate Passes Aggressive Bedbug Bill

6/16/2011 As The BedBug Problem Grows So Do The Issues: Landlords, Cities & Insurers Must Figure Out How To Deal With

An alarming invasion of bed bugs in homes, hotels, schools, hospitals and other facilities has led to a renewed call for lifting of a government ban on a pesticide once used to combat the bugs and moves in several states to require property/casualty insurers to cover the costs of clean-up.

The resurgence of the critters has also prompted renewed research into the best treatment and prevention methods.

Though around for centuries, by the mid-1900s bed bugs were almost completely eradicated in the U.S. due to a variety of pest control products used to treat infestations. Some now question whether this latest bed bug tipping point can be contained.

According to Missy Henriksen, vice president of the National Pest Management Association (NMPA), there are a variety of reasons for the dramatic increase in bed bugs, including increased travel and mobility of society. Other factors include changes in pest control, resistance towards pesticides, and changes in the pesticide application process.

The NPMA and the University of Kentucky studied what has been done on bed bugs to date. Released last summer, this study found that 95 percent of pest management professionals reported treating bed bugs in the past year. In 2000, that figure was below 25 percent.

“We also found as part of that, that bed bugs certainly aren’t just in beds any longer,” said Henriksen. “We’ve seen news stories that indicate that as well. Bed bugs are being found now in schools, in movie theaters, in office buildings, in hospitals and medical facilities, they are being found in cars. Anywhere where people are, you will find bedbugs. Bed bugs need people for their very survival. They are hitchhikers and they will travel with people on their belongings and take up residence in new locations.”

They are also in municipal buildings. Firefighters in Des Moines, Iowa last month called in a bed bug-sniffing dog that found bugs in an office, on two chairs, on stools and on four mattresses at Station No. 4. The firefighters, who eat and sleep at the station during their 24-hour shifts, said they worried about accidentally taking some of the little pests home.

Chemical Controversy

Last month, a two-family Ohio house was destroyed when a heater being used to kill bed bugs set a carpet on fire, according to officials. The exterminator blamed an equipment malfunction for the fire.

The fire renewed a controversy over the use of a pesticide, Propoxur, which has been successful in treating bed bugs. The product was taken off the market in 2006 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) because of health risks, including nausea and vomiting experienced during exposure to the product. The EPA says it is a danger to children’s nervous systems.

At a press conference in Ohio, Republican U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt and Democratic state Rep. Dale Mallor called on the EPA to solve the growing problem of bed bugs and allow Propoxur back on the market.

“The loss of this home, in my opinion, is the result of the EPA’s inaction to approve of a product that is effective at controlling the bedbugs,” Schmidt said.

Oho officials have twice requested an exemption for the state from the federal ban on Propoxur, but the EPA has thus far refused to grant the exemption.

Bed Bug Legislation

To address the issue, the federal government convened the second annual National Bed Bug Summit in Washington, D.C. in February. Part of the agenda included what states and cities are doing to control the problem and the effective use of heat and non-chemical treatments.

Eleven states are considering bed bug legislation this year. Maine adopted a bed bug related law last year. New York is considering requiring insurers that underwrite property/casualty policies in the state to cover costs associated with bed bug infestations.

Maine’s bed bug law requires a landlord to inspect a unit for bed bugs within five days of being notified by a tenant of an infestation possibility. Within 10 days of determining an infestation is present, the landlord must contact a pest control agent and take reasonable measures to treat the infestation. The pest control agent must carry liability insurance that is current and effective at time of treatment.

In addition, before a unit can be rented, a landlord has to disclose whether a unit is currently infested with or treated for bed bugs. The landlord has to provide, if requested, information as to when the unit or adjacent units were last inspected for and found to be free of bed bugs.

South Carolina enacted the Bed Bug Prevention and Sanitation Act and Hawaii added a bed bug question to the state’s real estate disclosure form.

Larger municipalities such as Detroit, San Francisco and New York City are also reviewing the issue.

Continue Reading More: As The Bedbug Problem Grows So Do The Issues

6/2/2011 Colorado Woman Denied Medical Care Do To Bedbug Bites: Claims Doctor At Aurora Medical Center Insulted Her And Said She Was A Dirty Person

After Christine Lewis was bitten by bedbugs, she was stung by a Colorado doctor’s insults.

The 43-year-old woman arrived at Aurora Medical Center to received a spinal injection for a chronic back problem, but says she wound up getting nothing but grief from a hospital physician over the bites on her arms.

“I was flabbergasted and mortified,” Lewis told ABC News. “He totally disregarded me. … Everything he said implied I was a dirty person, not up to standard, and that’s not right.”

According to Lewis, the doctor “ran out the door” after telling her that the bedbugs could be hiding in her hair or clothes.

Lewis suffered a back injury in a car crash as a teen and has undergone three surgeries to ease her pain. She was scheduled for a pain-killing injection to her dislocated tail bone when she arrived at the hospital.

“The doctor gave me a perfectly good medical explanation why he didn’t want to do the procedure,” Lewis said. “But then he went on to show ignorance … I am not a dirty person. He went too far.”

Aurora spokeswoman Joanna King said the doctor simply feared the bug bites created a heightened risk of infection and opted to reschedule the shot.

“The medical center and all staff are committed to treating all patients with compassion and dignity and I am confident we did so,” she said.

Lewis told ABC that she doesn’t want an apology and has no intention of filing a lawsuit. She simply wanted to let the public know about what happened to her at the hospital.

Continue Reading More: Colorado Woman Denied Medical Care Do To BedBug Bites

3/18/2011 Bedbugs Invade Washington DC Hospital: United Medical Center Psych Patient Linked To Bedbugs

3/7/2011 Bedbugs Found At NJ Psych Hospital: 2 Patient Rooms Quarantined At Meadowview Psychiatric Hospital

SECAUCUS – Two patient rooms at the county-operated psychiatric hospital in Secaucus have been quarantined for the past seven weeks after bedbugs were found there, a county official confirmed last week.

A patient in Room 306 of the Meadowview Psychiatric Hospital reported a bite on Jan. 11 and subsequent testing revealed that there was a bedbug infestation in Room 306 and bedbugs were found in Room 307 as well, Hudson County spokesman Jim Kennelly said.

The patients were removed from those two rooms, Kennelly said, and the rooms have been vacant since.

The rooms were treated by an exterminator, but when officials checked the rooms in mid-February, one bedbug was found in each room. Kennelly said the county policy is to quarantine a room 30 days when bedbugs are discovered.

Kennelly added that the second testing of the rooms revealed the presence of bedbugs, but not to the level of an infestation. A third test of the rooms will be conducted in mid-March.

LEWISTON — Central Maine Medical Center has closed a medical-surgical unit while it gets rid of bedbugs.

CMMC found an infestation in the unit over a week ago when a patient alerted staff. That unit was shut down and patients were temporarily moved so exterminators could treat the unit and, as a precaution, the adjoining areas. The unit is currently closed, but no more bugs have been found and it will likely reopen Monday.

CMMC isn’t the only medical facility in the area to deal with bedbugs

In the past month, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees hospitals and other medical facilities, received reports of bedbugs at Lewiston’s Montello Manor and Montello Commons, which provide nursing care and assisted living services. A Sept. 13 complaint involved both Montello Manor and Montello Commons, according to a DHHS spokesman. An Oct. 5 complaint involved only Montello Commons.

Continue Reading More

http://bit.ly/cY0oVA