Bed bugs

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Have any of you had to deal with a bed bug issue at your school? We don't actually have them IN our school (yet), but a student has them at home. The dogs swept our school this morning and we are clear at the moment. This is my second time dealing with this issue. I have a "hot box" set up in my office right now with the student's clothes (she brought in an extra set to change into) and her jacket and back pack. Staff is looking to me to control the issue and prevent it from entering our school. So my issue is this....does anyone think that it might not be a good idea for the nurse's office to be ground zero for the mediation process? Honestly, I'm not crazy about having to cook her belongings everyday and exposing myself to this issue, but really, shouldn't the nurse's office be a CLEAN environment?!? Why does this fall under the category of school nurse problem. FYI, she has no bites that need treatment - if she did then I could understand my role as a nurse in this situation. And really, can you imagine if a staff member was expected to have this contraption in his/her classroom? They would never allow it.

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The dogs were brought in when there wasn't even a live bed bug found?? Or was there? Yikes.

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

This is an integrated pest management issue, not a nurse issue. I agree, the nurse's office should not be ground zero for mediation, especially if you have beds instead of cots. Just another example of everything falling onto the nurse.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

I've already admitted I'm a cave nurse...but is there really a such of thing as a bed bug sniffing dog?

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Specializes in Telemetry, Gastroenterology, School Nrs.

Definitely not a nursing issue and I would have a problem with my clinic being ground zero.

I'm curious to know if the bedbugs have been confirmed at the student's home?

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The student's sibling attends another school in our district and the dogs did find evidence of bed bugs in that school so they checked ours as well.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

OK, I you tubed it...if I could find a dog that could sniff out head lice...hmmm

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.
I've already admitted I'm a cave nurse...but is there really a such of thing as a bed bug sniffing dog?

There's an extermination company that used to have commercials on TV with "Roscoe, the bed bug sniffing dog". Cute little beagle. I haven't seen a Roscoe commercial in ages.

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Yes Old Dude there is lol. Last time that they came to my school I watched them search it was pretty cool. The Health Department is now working with the family to remedy the situation at home, but that will be a long process. The staff at my school loses it when there's dreaded lice so you can imagine how they are handling this. Just so bummed that this is on me. But we should be used to that as school nurses right?

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Specializes in Pediatrics, school nursing.

In our district, the clinic is "ground zero" for bedbug cases. I've never personally dealt with it, but other nurses have told me that the district will set up traps in the classroom for 72 hours to see if the area needs to be fumigated. I don't think we're advanced enough for the dogs. One of the nurses has a plastic tub under her sink where the affected students leave anything brought from home, and change clothes each morning into clothing purchased by the school. During the day, one of the staff members washes the clothes that were brought from home, so they are available the next morning. At the end of the day, the students retrieve their backpacks before going home.

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Specializes in School Nursing, Hospice,Med-Surg.
OK, I you tubed it...if I could find a dog that could sniff out head lice...hmmm

I had no idea there were bed bug-sniffing dogs, either. You learn something every day. I guess I can go to bed now.

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So my colleague at the other school mentioned to her principal that having the "hot box" in the office could be a potential health code violation. They relocated the hot box from her office to another space. Does anyone know if there is any truth to that? I'm looking for a way to get this thing out of here

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