Public forum tonight: How to stop Vancouver bedbug problem?
Vancouver bedbugs are costing taxpayers, as the provincial government has been paying to clean-up after repeated infestations at several of the city’s single-room-occupancy buildings on the Downtown Eastside.A public forum on the issue will be held tonight at 6 pm at the Vancouver Public Library. Vancouver Burrard MLA Lorne Mayencourt is sponsoring the forum. He says the Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance has been paying the tab, and it has been an increasing problem in recent years.
Mayencourt says some apartment buildings in the West End, part of Mayencourt’s riding, have also been dealing with bed bug infestations. The purpose of the forum is to educate people on how to prevent an infestation, or how to eradicate the problem once it starts.
Vancouver’s Chief Medical Health Officer, Dr. John Blatherwick, says outbreaks are common and very tough to get rid of, because even after a room has been cleaned, it takes just one person infested with them to start the cycle all over again. “Rooms have to be treated, and all clothes have to be laundered, as the eggs live in seams of clothing and blankets for 2 years. It also causes health problems, because the bugs bite, cause itching, and if you’re living in less-than-ideal conditions, they can lead to infections.”
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130)
