Explainer | Don’t let bedbugs bite! How did pests land in Hong Kong hospital and how do you avoid infestations?
With bedbugs found in a ward of Kwai Chung Hospital, a pest control expert explains the best way to tackle the insects
Reports about bedbugs in healthcare settings are rare in Hong Kong.
The Post has spoken to a pest control expert to find out why Kwai Chung Hospital may have been affected and what we can all do to avoid bedbug infestations.
1. What happened?
A Kwai Chung Hospital spokesman revealed on Tuesday night that a male patient in a post-admission care unit had complained of itchy skin the previous morning.
He said the patient was believed to have been bitten by bedbugs, which were later found in his bedding. Bedbugs were also found in a sealed heating facility and on nine other beds.
Three other male patients also suffered suspected bedbug bites.
2. What are bedbugs?
Bedbugs are small parasitic insects that feed solely on the blood of warm-blooded animals. Two species cause a nuisance to humans – the common bedbug, Cimex lectularius, and the tropical bedbug, Cimex hemipterus.