Aug. 18--If you start getting a little itchy in the middle of the night, you might want to turn on the lights and closely check the sheets and bedposts.
Bedbugs, tiny parasites that had all but disappeared in the nation, are back and hungrier than ever.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Atlanta, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warn that bedbugs are appearing with an increasing and alarming frequency. Both agencies say the parasite, large enough to be visible to the naked eye, is a public health issue.
The CDC describes bedbugs as flat insects that feed on the blood of sleeping persons and animals. They are wingless, reddish-brown in color and up to about one-quarter inch long.
"Although bedbugs are not known to transmit disease, they are a pest of significant public health importance," the CDC and EPA said in a joint statement.
The CDC said public health agencies have been receiving a growing number of complaints about the sudden reappearance of bedbugs.
"Though the exact cause is not known, experts suspect the resurgence is associated with increased resistance of bedbugs to available pesticides, greater international and domestic travel, lack of knowledge regarding control of bedbugs due to their prolonged absence, and the continuing decline or elimination of effective vector/pest control programs at state and local public health agencies," the CDC said.
Coastal Georgia is seeing its share. Sally Silbermann, spokeswoman for the Coastal Health District, which includes Glynn County, said health departments on the coast are getting calls.
"According to the Acute Disease Epidemiology Section of the Georgia Division of Public Health, bedbugs do seem to be on the rise in Georgia, as elsewhere," Silbermann said. "It is hard to quantify, however, as there is no mandate to report bedbug infestations."
She emphasized that no bedbug advisories have been issued in the Coastal Health District. "Complaints are not greater than usual in Glynn County regarding bedbugs," she said.
Other counties in the health district are Chatham, Effingham, Long, Bryan, Liberty, McIntosh and Camden.
As of Monday, there were no active complaints about bedbugs at any tourist accommodation in the district, she said.
"Our Environmental Health Department has had several homeowner calls in the last few weeks, but nothing out of the ordinary," Silbermann said.
She said the health department checks for bedbugs during routine inspections of motels.
"If an investigation does reveal an infestation, they have the hotel owner work with their pest control contractors to eliminate the problem," she said. "They also provide education to the hotel owners. Most infestations occur because a hotel guest has brought them from their home, from their luggage and clothes, and introduced them to a hotel room."
She said the health department shows hotel operators what to look for to head off a large infestation. "Even the cleanest, most responsible hotels and motels have fallen victim to this issue," she said.
The parasites usually bite their unwitting hosts at night and disappear, hiding on bed boards, in bedding and mattresses. They can also be found in cracks of walls and crevices where they are hidden from view.
A professional is often needed to exterminate the unwelcome guests. The treatment can be expensive.
The CDC warns that some bedbug populations are resistant to treatment.
Take control
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends these steps to control or eliminate bedbugs:
--Remove clutter where bed bugs can hide.
--Apply heat to infested items.
--Vacuum.
--Seal cracks and crevices to eliminate hiding places.
--Properly and judiciously use effective chemical pesticides.
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