Bedbugs found in 10 beds at Hong Kong’s public hospital, with 4 patients believed to have been bitten
Hong Kong Free Press
A Hong Kong public hospital has identified bedbugs, a tiny brown pest that feed mostly on human blood, on at least 10 beds, with four patients believed to have been bitten while hospitalised.
A spokesperson for Kwai Chung Hospital (KCH) said in a statement on Tuesday that they had found bedbugs on a patient’s bed on Monday after the patient reported feeling itchy.
Hospital staff inspected the ward and identified bedbugs in a sealed heating facility and on another nine beds. Thee more patients were thought to have been bitten by the pests.
“KCH has provided appropriate treatment to the four patients concerned and has taken a
series of measures to enhance patient protection and prevent the spread of bed bugs,” the spokesperson said. All affected mattresses, pillows, linens and personal belongings of the patients involved had been disposed of properly, they added.
The hospital hired professional exterminators to manage bedbugs in the ward and to investigate where they came from, while a pest control expert from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) also went to inspect the hospital.
Chan Wai-Keung, vice-president of the Pest Control Personnel Association of Hong Kong, told local media outlets on Wednesday that if bedbugs were found in 10 beds, the pest had probably been infesting the hospital for several months.
Chan said that the hospital should review its cleaning measures and that patients should be checked for bedbugs when they were admitted to hospitals.
Neglected nightmare
Bedbugs have long been a persistent but neglected nightmare for the city’s low-income families, especially for those living in sub-divided units, HKFP reported last December. A volunteer helping low-income families control the pest told HKFP that he had noticed a rising number of bedbug victims at some public housing estates, adding that he was worried about possible outbreaks.
Chan told HKFP last December that the pest did not fall under the jurisdiction of any government departments. “The government just has not paid attention to this issue because bedbugs do not transmit diseases directly,” Chan said in Cantonese.
The issue caught authorities’ attention last November after infestations were reported in South Korea, France and the UK, with FEHD handing out leaflets at the airport arrivals to enhance their awareness of bedbug prevention and control.
“Although information shows that bedbugs will not spread diseases, bedbug bites may cause skin allergy and itchiness and make people feel unwell,” a government spokesperson said at the time, adding that authorities would enhance communication with relevant business sectors.
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