Sniffle Solutions

Kathy Strasser, a registered nurse, advises:
Be cautious and keep in mind that everyone has the potential to be visited by bedbugs. A bedbug infestation has nothing to do with the cleanliness of your home.

Take some comfort in the fact that bedbugs don’t fly, jump or hop. They crawl. They’re also nocturnal by nature and prefer to hide (normally in beds) during the day. Therefore, there’s a very low chance bedbugs would travel to school with a classmate. That said, there are precautions you can take to prevent bedbugs:

Inspect your child. Search his shoes, clothing and books for bugs when he returns home from school. Look for small flat bugs, typically reddish-brown in color with pointed rear ends.

Minimize bedbug bait. Advise your child to carry as few items into the classroom as possible. Have young children leave stuffed animals and blankets at home, and recommend that older kids leave their bookbags, sweaters and coats in lockers.

Bedbugs do bite. Bedbug bites usually show up as several itchy red bumps in a small line congregated along a vein line. Typically the bites are treated with soap, water and maybe ice to relieve the itching.

Find additional, in-depth resources to help detect, treat and prevent bedbugs at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website.

With bedbugs popping up all over the U.S., how worried are you about exposure? Have you taken any preventative measures in your home? Join the conversation.

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