The one comforting
fact about bedbugs is they don’t transmit diseases to
humans. In fact, some people who are bitten have little or no
reaction at all. Others, however, can develop itchy welts or
sores.
Michael Potter, a professor of
entomology at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, says bedbug
victims can apply antiseptic or antibiotic ointments to bites to
prevent infection, but further medical treatment is
unnecessary.
The most important thing is not to let
the pests travel home with you, Potter says. Those who have been
exposed should launder all clothing immediately -- before returning
home if possible. As for luggage, “if it’s the summertime, one
approach would be to set the suitcase out in the hot sun for a
couple of days, preferably after removing the inner lining. Heat’s
a killer for bedbugs,” Potter says.
Bedbugs are such hearty hitchhikers, so
adept at hiding, that even vacuuming a suitcase might not eliminate
them. Those whose luggage is infested might do well to buy new
bags.