Yaoundé 2:Population decry bed bugs’ torture on them

The population living in the Briqueterie neighborhood in Yaounde 2 subdivision of the Center Region of Cameroon, have been going through torture since December 6, 2023. This follows a viral bed bug invasion in the neighborhood.

Bed bugs are parasitic insects from the genus Cimex, which are micro predators that feed on blood, usually at night. They infest dwellings and bite people, causing irritation and sometimes other issues. Bed bug bites may lead to skin changes ranging from small areas of redness to prominent blisters.

“Children scratch themselves the whole night, they are not able to sleep, and in the morning, they have wounds and marks all over their bodies. I thought they were mosquitos, but when I was dressing the bed, I saw the bed bugs all over the bed,” Aminatou Lamy lamented.

“When I kill them, there is so much blood and it smells. When you enter a house where these bed bugs are, immediately you sit, even if there is just one, they multiply rapidly, it sucks blood,” other inhabitants of the area stated.

These bed bug bites have various effects; allergic reactions during bites, blood loss in the event of a massive infestation, and psychological effects.

The Minister of Public Health this week prescribed the following measures: At home, carefully clean furniture found in the street or purchased at a flea market before bringing it into your home, avoid cluttering spaces, reduce the number of places where bedbugs can hide, do not place your bags on the floor or the bed, and even less under the bed, store them on a previously inspected luggage rack and leave them closed when not in use. Do not put your clothes on the bed or in the wardrobes before having examined them scrupulously, wash clothes in hot, boiling water after purchase. When you return from a trip, make sure there are no bedbugs in your luggage, take out clothes and examine personal belongings, Wash clothes and fabric items in hot water (if possible at 60°), whether they have been worn or not.

Officials of the Ministry of Public Health say there is no need for panic. They however advise the population to adopt healthy hygienic habits, ventilate homes, and avoid the use of unknown insecticides to repel the nocturnal insects.

Treatment of bed bug bites requires keeping the person from being repeatedly bitten, and possible symptomatic use of antihistamines and corticosteroids (either topically or systemically).