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Bedbug infestation in Lahore hospitals
Hafiz Amin1, Muhammad Mehmood2, Huda Sarwar2
1Mayo Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan.
Insights
Bedbug infestations are common in Lahore hospitals, with over 70% of wards affected. Inadequate knowledge and control measures contribute to this public health issue.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Parasitology
- Infectious Disease Control
Background:
- Bedbug infestations pose a significant public health challenge globally.
- Limited data exists on bedbug prevalence in healthcare settings in Pakistan.
- This study addresses the first investigation of bedbug infestation in a Lahore, Pakistan hospital.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of bedbug infestation in public sector hospitals in Lahore, Pakistan.
- To assess the effectiveness of implemented control measures.
- To evaluate the knowledge and practices of healthcare staff regarding bedbug control.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study was conducted in 86 wards across two tertiary care hospitals in Lahore.
- Data was collected through structured questionnaires administered to ward supervisors and direct examination of wards for bedbugs or their markers.
- Non-probability sampling was employed during October-November 2019.
Main Results:
- Evidence of bedbug infestation was detected in 72.1% of the surveyed hospital wards.
- Wards implementing control measures showed a significantly lower infestation rate (25.8%) compared to those without (74.2%).
- Over half of the sampled wards (53.4%) had no control measures in place.
Conclusions:
- Bedbug infestation is widespread in the studied Lahore hospitals.
- Ward supervisors demonstrated inadequate knowledge regarding bedbug identification and eradication.
- Existing control measures were often substandard and not evidence-based, necessitating improved strategies.
Background:
Bedbug infestation has been reported globally, but there are few reports about this parasite of public health importance in Pakistan. This is the first study on bedbug infestation in a healthcare setting in Lahore, Pakistan.
Aims:
To study bedbug infestation in public sector hospitals in Lahore, Pakistan.
Methods:
This cross-sectional study was conducted in 86 wards of 2 tertiary care hospitals in Lahore during October and November 2019, using nonprobability sampling technique. Ward supervisors were interviewed using a self-developed structured questionnaire and wards were examined for bedbugs or their markers.
Results:
Evidence of bedbug infestation was found in 72.1% of the wards. There was no significant difference in infestation rate between the 2 hospitals but there was a significantly lower incidence of infestation in wards that implemented control measures (25.8% vs 74.2%). No control measures were implemented in 53.4% of the wards sampled.
Conclusion:
Bedbug infestation was rife in the 2 hospitals studied and knowledge about identification and eradication of the pest among ward supervisors was inadequate. Control measures, where applied, were substandard and not evidence-based.
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