Bed bug infestations are common in low-income apartments, and residents are often unaware of the problem, researchers report.
In the study of nearly 2,400 individual low-income apartments in New Jersey, more than one in 10 were found to have bed bugs. And buildings with high tenant turnover had more infestations, researchers said.
This type of research is vital for controlling bed bug infestations because it "can be used to target our education and bedbug prevention efforts to the most vulnerable communities," said study author Changlu Wang, of Rutgers University.
Wang's team examined individual residences in 43 low-income apartment buildings in the state. The investigators found that the overall rate of bedbug infestation was 12 percent, but varied from building to building. Other key findings include:
- Women were more likely to report symptoms of bed bug bites and more likely to express concern upon learning their homes were infested.
- Infestations were more prevalent in the homes of African Americans than in those of white or Hispanic residents.
- Fifty percent of residents with bed bug infestations were completely unaware of them.
- Apartment buildings with a high turnover of tenants had higher bed bug infestations.
The study was published April 5 in the Journal of Medical Entomology.
Source: Entomology Today
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