Can Bed Bugs Make You Sick?

Can Bed Bugs Make You Sick

Bed bugs turn out to be very annoying insects since they can invade both the exterior space and your home’s interior space. Many people are afraid of these insects, as there are high expectations about whether bed bugs make you sick. The important thing is that in the presence of bed bugs, take preventive measures to get rid of them.

You, as a homeowner, should be intimidated by the presence of bed bugs, as they can become a veritable pest. In the United States, there is a large presence of these insects, and you must know how to keep them away from you and your family.

You must know the side effects that bed bugs can cause in humans and why you cannot accommodate them in your home. If you want to stay out of health problems, you should know that bed bugs can become the enemy of your property’s inhabitants.

In 2012, a study was conducted by the American Society for Microbiology. This study found that more than 40 organisms can transmit certain diseases to bed bugs. However, there was no evidence that bed bugs can transmit these diseases to humans in this same study.

But this does not mean that the concern is gone as many people continue to fear bed bugs. Regardless of whether this insect transmits some diseases or not, you should know that bed bugs can affect your health and can trigger serious complications.

Specialists in this type of insects point out that bed bugs can be hazardous, and you should keep them away from your home.

What Are Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs can enter your property from any crack as they are tiny insects. This brown insect has an oval body and uses the blood of humans or animals to feed. When bed bugs reach adulthood, they can be about the size of an apple seed.

The body of bed bugs is entirely flat, but once they feed on animals or humans’ blood, their body begins to swell, taking on a reddish color. Although bed bugs do not fly, they can move very quickly from one side to the other. Bed bugs can crawl on ceilings, walls, and floors without you even knowing it.

Bed bug eggs are the size of one dust particle and can lay hundreds of them during their life cycle. Bed bugs are called nymphs, and during that stage, they can change their skin up to 5 times. Every time bed bugs shed their skin, and they need a good dose of blood to feed.

Bed bugs can make you sick if they are near you, as they can develop in as little as a month. Thus, they can reproduce up to 3 generations per year and become a pest. For most people, bed bugs are a great nuisance, and they prefer not to have them in the home.

When bed bugs want to enter your home, they can do so without you noticing as they fit in tiny spaces due to their size. Unlike ants or bees, bed bugs do not have nests and prefer to hide in mattresses, at the head of beds, or in frames.

Symptoms And Signs of Bed Bug Bites

It is challenging for you to have a bite to detect if it has been from a bed bug, a mosquito, or a flea. Bed bug bites form a red area around it, and it is because of the reaction caused by the saliva they use to sleep the area they plan to use for feeding.

Some people may have an allergic reaction to bed bug bites, and scratching another symptom can be hives. Since each organism is different, not all people will go through a reaction when bitten by bed bugs. When bitten by this insect, many people may not even have a red bump on their body.

Just because you notice some bed bugs does not mean that there is an infestation in your home. For you to know if there are bed bugs in your home, you may notice the presence of white eggs, remains of fecal matter.

If you have an allergic reaction when bitten by a bed bug, you will have the following symptoms:

  • Swelling in the area of ​​the bite
  • Pain in the area of ​​the bite

To find out if Can bed bugs make you sick, the first thing to do when bitten is to see a doctor. The stress of being bitten by a bed bug can also cause an allergic reaction. Professional advice will be of great help to you if a bed bug has bitten you.

Although bed bugs feed every ten days, they can reproduce quickly to cause an infestation. When seeing the presence of these insects, many people immediately hire a specialist to get rid of them.

Do Bed Bugs Make People Sick?

There are many studies that experts have carried out to find out if Can bed bugs make you sick. Professionals point out that bed bugs are not considered a medical hazard, much less for public health. Poor hygiene is regarded as one of the first factors that bed bugs want to live on your property.

In large cities, there is the greatest presence of bed bugs since they are attracted to food, which in this case, is the blood of humans and animals. Although bed bugs can carry human pathogens, scientists have not provided evidence that these insects can transmit them through bites.

It is widespread for people to associate insects with certain diseases, as many do cause serious complications. Bed bugs can cause allergic reactions, but it has not been proven that they can transmit diseases.

If you are afraid of this insect, you should keep it away from your space and avoid being bitten by them. So far, there is no evidence that bed bugs can transmit any known diseases. But they can get sick from an allergic reaction to the sting.

When having mild symptoms, people can use medicated creams to decrease swelling and itching. For some people, the reaction to bed bug bites can be more serious:

  • There may be the presence of urticaria.
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Rash

Although bed bugs do not cause physical disease, psychologically, you might think that they do, as there is still no exact evidence that this insect is not a disease transmitter. Therefore, you must take care of being bitten by bed bugs.

Author Aalyah