Do Bed Bugs Transmit Disease?
Some common symptoms of bed bug bites include itching, redness of the skin, and skin irritation.
With bed bug infestation on the rise in congested urban localities of the metro cities around the globe, there has been a sharp increase in the number of people affected by bed bug infestation in the past few years. Some common symptoms of bed bug bites include itching, redness of the skin, and skin irritation. However, some people may experience more severe symptoms.
This has led to a debate about whether or not bed bugs transmit diseases. These household pests live on human blood. So the risk of transmitting disease through blood is higher. But can bed bug bites cause serious harm to human health? There is no clear answer to this question. In fact, there are contradictory opinions. This topic has been discussed widely over the past few years and many clinical tests have been performed to uncover the truth.
A collaborative research was recently carried out by a University in Peru, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The results of the study found that it is possible for the bed bugs to transmit a disease called Trypanozoma cruzi or Chagas disease. The researchers claimed that feces of bed bugs can transmit Trypanozoma cruzi. They also provided evidence in support of their claim. Even if the claims are true, the chances of bed bugs transmitting diseases to humans are less.
The study claims that only the excrement of the bed bugs help spread diseases to humans. If that is the case, then the risk of disease transmission is low. Bud bugs usually do not defecate immediately after taking a meal. This means that they are less likely to defecate on human bodies. As a result, risk of disease transmission through the feces of bed bugs is nominal.
One school of thought believes that bed bugs do transmit some blood-borne diseases, such as, HIV, MRSA, and hepatitis B and C. Those who support this mainly stress on a fact – bed bugs live on human blood, so there is a possibility of them carrying and transmitting germs through blood. However, no evidence was found to support the claim that bed bugs transmit diseases.
In fact, bed bugs are currently being used for gene-engineering purposes. Many scientists and researchers are carrying out research to find out other uses of bed bugs.
Read more:
