While it has been widely assumed that bedbugs aren’t dangerous due to the fact that, unlike most insects or pests, they do not transmit human diseases, one can’t also deny that these bloodsuckers are not entirely harmless.
Bed bugs are quite common in the United States and are found to dwell in different places or environments. Since they survive by feeding on blood, humans find bedbugs irritating.
Can bed bugs transmit diseases?
Although, what people also need to watch out for is that bed bugs do spread parasites. In a certain study, bedbugs are found to transmit in particular the T. cruzi parasite, which causes a deadly disease called Chagas disease.
In addition, one article claimed that bed bugs could trigger mental illness among humans. Scientists discovered that certain individuals, during their encounter with bed bugs, suffer from severe depression and anxiety as a result of stress arising from paranoia, and lack of sleep. In worse case scenarios, bed bug victims would even develop a mental disorder in the long run.
Surprising, right?
Bed bugs’ physical and mental consequences
One thing is for sure: if you are bitten by bedbugs, you will acquire small red bumps on your skin which will eventually turn into injuries—in the form of skin irritation and inflammation—as a result of you itching like crazy.
Being such a nuisance since time immemorial, bed bugs affect people negatively, so much that, according to Robert M. Jarvis (2009), nearly a dozen cases had been reported back in the 19th century about guests or tenants suing hotels because of bed bug injuries.
What to fear about bed bugs
Stephanie Davio (2010) strongly emphasized that there is no need to be alarmed when your home gets infested by bed bugs as their bites only bring you itching, inflammation, and possible allergic reactions—which can be dealt with using medications like cream, ointments, and antihistamines. The danger comes when out of panic, you resort to spraying toxic pesticides or scratch your skin excessively causing you an infection. In other words, it is NOT the bug that is dangerous but the actions we tend to take after being bitten by it.
If you should think of the physical and emotional damage caused by bed bugs, you must therefore not take bed bugs infestation for granted.
Bed bugs dwell in many places such as:
- old furniture
- Beds
- Appliances
- Behind the door
- Cracks or crevices
- Clothing
- Linens
- Bags
- Luggage, etc.
Moreover, once you detect the presence of bed bugs inside your home, you need to take measures immediately to prevent their population from increasing further. Although, using chemical control is not always the best idea. Ultimately, it is the heat treatment that can eliminate them without a trace and without leaving any negative side effects to humans and pets.
In conclusion, bed bugs are not as dangerous as other insects like mosquitoes and ticks that are carriers of deadly viruses, they can still cause irritation and infection from their bites. By hook or by crook, bed bugs may transmit parasites and may trigger anxiety and mental disorder in some people. To avoid being in this difficult situation, call your local pest control experts and bed bug exterminators for an intricate house examination before it’s too late!
