Bed bugs, scabies: how to recognize them and get rid of them?
Bed bugs, very invasive hosts
They adore us! Feeding on human blood, they inject their allergenic saliva, causing irrepressible urges to scratch, even extensive reactions such as hives. But not everyone reacts the same way. “In 30% of cases, their bites are even asymptomatic,” notes Dr. Arezki Izri, head of the parasitology-mycology department at the Avicenne hospital in Bobigny (93). The infestation can then be discovered by chance. The good news is that so far the insect does not appear to transmit any diseases.
A real plague
Rest assured, their multiplication is not linked to a lack of hygiene or unsanitary conditions, but seems due to resistance to insecticides. “This resistance concerns both eggs and adult bedbugs. It is now genetic, because we observe mutations in the DNA of insects”, informs Dr. Izri. The resurgence of bedbugs in our homes is also linked to the increase in travel. We bring them back in our suitcases after a stay in very busy places (hotels, tourist rooms, including luxury). As they survive several months without eating and can move from one room to another, they gradually invade the whole house, even the neighboring apartment! Knowing that a female lays between two hundred and five hundred eggs in her lifetime and that, five weeks later, the latter are in turn capable of laying eggs, their multiplication quickly becomes exponential.
Symptoms to identify
Unlike mosquito bites, theirs are multiple (at least three), in line or grouped together, leaving small red marks. On the other hand, it is difficult to find these beasts no bigger than an apple seed, because they flee the light and only come out at night to sting. The only solution is to inspect their hiding places: corners of mattresses or sofas, cracks in the bed base, parquet, wood furniture, skirting boards, under tapestries, electrical outlets. We can sometimes more easily identify their excrement, black or brown stains (digested blood) that they leave where they nest or… on the sheets.
Elimination all!
Better to react immediately! Dr. Izri offers a three-step protocol, for which he notes good feedback. As the bedroom is often the first place contaminated, the sheets and clothes that are outside the cupboards are treated with heat (machine wash at 60°C). We then vacuum every nook and cranny, including the mattress and box spring. Then the bed and the entire room are treated with a steam cleaner at 120°C. In case of failure, the whole house must be subjected to this treatment! And if nothing helps, all that remains is to contact a disinsectization company “which relies on heat treatments”, insists Dr. Izri. “I advise against those who use insecticides. Our laboratory experiments have shown their ineffciency, even when the bedbugs are immersed in them. And they make them more and more resistant, not to mention their potential toxicity. “Also be careful with treatments based on diatomaceous earth. Very fashionable because it is natural, this sediment gets its insecticidal properties from silica. "However, even at low concentration, it is irritating to the respiratory tract," warns the expert.
Scabies a hypercontagious disease
This skin condition is caused by "sarcoptes", a mite that lives even closer to us than bedbugs. The female digs her nest in the superficial layers of the skin and lays her eggs there.
A real plague
Even if the lack of hygiene favors it, scabies also affects clean people of all ages. The parasite is taking advantage of the proliferation of travel and community accommodation to develop at breakneck speed! It passes from one skin to another after close contact (scabies is also part of sexually transmitted infections), but also through infested linen or bedding. Hence the regular epidemics in schools, summer camps, youth hostels, "often by exchanging clothes, towels, or sharing towels", underlines Dr. Izri. It is then brought back to the family cocoon. An affected person harbors about ten mites under his skin and each female lays two or three eggs a day, which in turn reproduce after ten to fifteen days. The spread of the parasite is therefore rapid, especially since contagion is possible while one is still asymptomatic.
Symptoms to identify
Intense itching appears several days or even weeks after contamination. It itches especially at night, all over the body, especially “between the fingers and at the level of the wrists”, specifies Dr. Izri. Members of the same family are often affected a few days apart, which sometimes helps the doctor to establish the diagnosis because, in general, no lesion appears. If in doubt, a dermatologist can highlight the mite, which is microscopic, using a magnifying glass placed on the skin.
Elimination all!
Unlike bed bugs, mites are sensitive to insecticides and pest control. Depending on the doctor's habits, these are prescribed locally (Ascabiol or Topiscab, to be left to act on the whole body for several hours) or orally (Stromectol, in a single dose). “In both cases, the treatment must be repeated seven to ten days later. Indeed, these molecules do not destroy the eggs, which will therefore eventually hatch,” warns Dr Izri. In addition, all people who have had close contact with the affected patient must be treated, as they may have been contaminated. Treating the environment is also essential, because the parasite can survive there for several days. You can choose to wash the bedding and clothes worn the last three days at 60°C or isolate them in an airtight bag in contact with an insecticide for a few hours (APar, Enviroscab, etc.). The insecticide must also be sprayed on the fabrics in contact with the skin – mattresses, sofas, car seats… Be careful to use it away from asthmatics and young children, and to open the windows of the treated rooms.
The good reflex
Cut your nails and wash your hands. The goal is to avoid bacterial skin infection from scratching with dirty fingernails or fingernails.
Prevention
Avoid spreading your belongings out in hotel rooms – they can be hung up or left in the suitcase. Back home, if in doubt, put your clothes in plastic bags while waiting to decontaminate them by cold (freezing for two or three days at – 18°C) or hot (washing at 60°C or going to the dryer for at least an hour).
>Also discover: How to recycle your medicines in pharmacies?
