Bed bugs, public health, and social justice: Part 1, A call to action

Abstract

The resurgence of bed bugs poses an urgent situation since infestations are rampant globally, nationally, and locally. In Ohio, bed bugs have become a virtual epidemic in many towns and cities, especially in central and southwestern regions of the state. These blood-feeding insects cause an array of adverse health effects in humans. Furthermore, bed bugs disproportionately occur in urban areas, and housing and the built environment are now recognized as dominant influences on health. Bed bugs' potential role in disease transmission remains unqualified to date, and research on this issue is urgently needed. The escalating global bed bug resurgence leaves the divided public health community in a precarious social justice position if the lack of response to bed bug infestations disproportionately impacts underserved populations. Bed bugs are an urgent public health and environmental justice concern, and the authors recommend that public health agencies respond with authority of agency.