Recently, Koreans have been troubled by the re-emergence of bedbugs. Bedbugs are insects in the family Norex bedbugs. They are widely distributed worldwide, 75 species of 23 genera have been reported, and Korea is predominantly inhabited by Lectularius and Hemipterus. Bedbugs plagued Koreans until the late 1980s, just in the late 20th century. 

But, since the 1990s, the habitat of bedbugs has greatly shrunk as the country’s quarantine level has increased and wooden buildings have almost disappeared. However, bedbugs began to reappear in mid-October and spread across the country. It is believed that there is a high possibility that it was introduced from abroad. A British student originally used the dormitory room of Keimyung University where the bedbugs were found. 

Source-Healthline

The British city has been suffering from bedbugs recently. Some in the West speculate that the explosive increase in bedbugs is related to climate change. However, Professor Seung-hwan Lee said, “it is believed that the insecticide resistance problem, which has existed before, has exploded with the increase in global migration rather than the impact of climate change.” The insect community believes that insecticide resistance among pests is a major problem. Professor Lee also said, “There have been reports of bedbugs resistant to DDT, which is toxic enough to be banned now, and this is the result of human development of the insecticide. 

What happens when people get bitten by bedbugs? The symptoms of bedbug bites are itchiness and spots. However, with bites, they disappear within a week or two. So bedbug bites don’t need treatment. Bedbugs don’t spread the disease, but they can cause some people allergic reactions or serious skin reactions. So, if you experience such a serious skin reaction, you should go to a hospital and get a checkup. 

Also if you bite by bedbugs, you should prevent secondary infections caused by severe scratching of the bite area because the pain of itching and swelling is greater than of mosquito bites. 

Resource:

mayo clinic, 사우나 이어 기숙사에서도…한국에 ‘빈대 팬데믹’ 올까 | 일요신문 (ilyo.co.kr) 
"살충제 소용없어"…한국 뜬 빈대, 유럽이 치떠는 그놈이었다 | 중앙일보 (joongang.co.kr)

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