Bed bugs are tiny, irritating insects that can quickly colonize an area and make living inhabitants miserable. Frequently, those who visit Florida for vacation or business purposes stay at a hotel or similar facility where bed bugs could be present. Unfortunately, travelers can easily bring bed bugs home with them on their clothing or in their luggage.
At that point, bed bugs may infest their homes. Remediating a bed bug infestation can prove expensive, particularly if someone has a large house and a lot of assets to clean and treat. In some scenarios, bed bug infestations will cost far more to resolve than in others because of how they can potentially impact the health of the people in the household. The following scenarios often lead to much more expensive bed bug infestations than average.
Households with very young, old or immunocompromised family members
Certain people are more prone to infection after a bug bite than others. Very young children and elderly adults are often more susceptible to infection than the average person. There are also people of all ages who may experience an immunocompromised state due to health issues or medical treatment. Some people have medical challenges that affect their immune systems. Others, such as those with cancer, may undergo treatments via chemotherapy that will leave them more vulnerable to infection. Bed bug bite infections can quickly increase the cost of an infestation.
Someone with an allergy
Most people don’t undergo allergy testing unless it is absolutely necessary. The process is long, painful and expensive. Medical professionals have to poke people repeatedly with needles to see if they react to different allergens. Therefore, those with a bed bug allergy often don’t know about it until an infestation occurs in their homes or they end up bitten while staying at a hotel. These individuals may have severe adverse reactions that require hospitalization. The cost of treating someone for an allergic reaction to bed bug bites can be much higher than the cost of simply dealing with the infestation.
Mental health challenges
There are many people who find health and sanitation issues to be very stressful. People may experience intense anxiety when they know that there are bugs infesting their homes. In some cases, they may experience insomnia or depression while coping with the infestation and its secondary consequences. The trauma and stress created by an infestation may necessitate counseling services in addition to physical health and pest remediation services.
Individuals seeking appropriate compensation after bed bug exposure at a business will need to consider all of the long-term consequences of their recent infestation to maximize the compensation they can obtain. Learning more about factors that can complicate bed bug infestations may help those dealing with the aftermath of exposure to these dangerous little pests to more accurately value their related losses.