There’s nothing that can make your skin crawl as quickly as thinking of bugs crawling around your bed with you while you sleep, biting you and drinking your blood for sustenance.
Bed bugs elicit some strong reactions from people, and for good reason, these increasingly common creepy-crawlies signal to most people dirt and neglect, they are incredibly hard to kill and even harder to get rid of, and their numbers are rising. Potent insecticides introduced in the 1950s made bed bugs so rare that they were almost unidentifiable to most people. There are several theories as to why bed bugs have made a roaring comeback in the last 20 years; from the banning of the insecticide to more people traveling regularly, to the bugs growing resistant to new insecticides.
While whatever has caused the population boom is uncertain, the certain thing is that everyone wants to avoid them. However, you’re probably not reading this because you want to avoid a bed bug, but because the exact opposite thing happened and now, you have a bed bug infestation.
How do you get bed bugs?
Most people pick up bed bugs in totally harmless ways: moving to a new home or apartment that already had an issue, having bugs come in from a vacated apartment next door, or picking them up while travelling (yes, even the cleanest hotels can suffer from this scourge).
So now your concern is: how dangerous are these things?
The good news is that bed bugs don’t carry or transmit any disease, the bad news is that their bites can cause allergic reactions—sometimes severe, especially in children. Bed bugs can also cause other skin problems from allergic reactions and open wounds on the skin, including impetigo, ecthyma, and lymphangitis—and bed bugs can cause a host of other issues as well.
For one, bed bugs are an economic nightmare. From hiring specialized companies to spray for bed bugs to washing all your bedding and clothing, to even being forced to trash some of your stuff to get rid of the bugs, ending up with a bed bug infestation could cost you big money.
Bed bugs: more than a headache
A bed bug infestation can also mean serious negative consequences for you and your family’s mental health. The stigma of a bed bug infestation can leave you feeling ashamed and isolated, the weight of added financial pressure can stress you, and the sense that your home and your bed are no longer safe and welcoming can all contribute to stress, anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances.
How to get help
If you’ve ended up with bed bugs due to a hotel visit, or a negligent landlord that refuses to help you out, it might be time to consider talking to professional personal injury lawyers in Las Vegas. These types of lawyers have experience getting people’s money back for a bed bug infestation caused by a visit to an Airbnb or a hotel, or wrangling with landlords who blame you for the infestation and refuse to let you end your lease.
Remember that there are people out there who can help you and that getting bed bugs is in no way a reflection of your cleanliness, hygiene, or habits.
