Bedbugs send staff scurrying into action at Augusta school

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – An Augusta school is dealing with a bedbug situation.

Parents of Monte Sano Elementary students were told of it in a letter dated Wednesday.

“A kindergarten student was exposed to bedbugs outside our school,” the Richmond County School System told parents.

No other grade levels are believed to be in danger of exposure.

“Out of an abundance of caution,” all students were examined for bedbug activity and the following steps were taken:

• All kindergarten classes were removed from their normal classrooms for the school day and instruction took place at another location in the school.
• All classroom items were examined for bedbug activity.
• To ensure that no bedbugs enter family homes, kindergarten student belongings will remain on campus overnight to be treated.
• Parents and guardians of all kindergarten students received additional resources and information.

Regular classroom activity for all students will resume on Thursday.

“We understand that this event disrupted your children’s school day,” parents were told. “We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to ensure that our classrooms are safe environments for learning.”

All about bedbugs

• Bedbugs are small, flat insects that bite people and animals at night while they sleep, feeding on their blood.
• Bedbugs are reddish-brown, are wingless and range from 1mm to roughly the size of Lincoln’s head on a penny. They can live for months without a blood meal.
• Bedbugs are not known to spread diseases to people, but they cause irritation, itching and loss of sleep.
• You can find bedbugs anywhere, from North and South America, to Africa, Asia and Europe. Bedbugs are in five-star hotels and resorts. How clean a place is does not determine whether they are present.
• Bedbug bites affect each person differently. You may have no signs or you may see small bites or suffer serious allergic reactions, although these are rare.
• When bedbugs bite, they inject an anesthetic and anticoagulant that prevent a person from feeling the bite when it happens. Most people do not notice the bite marks until they appear from one to several days after the initial bite.
• Bites look similar to mosquito or flea bites — a slightly swollen and red area that may itch and be irritating. The bite marks may be random or appear in a straight line.
• Signs of an infestation include exoskeletons (shed after molting), bugs in the fold of mattresses and sheets, rusty-colored blood spots on mattresses or nearby furniture, and a sweet musty odor.

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