Public Awareness, Perception, and Knowledge of Bed Bug Infestation Prevalence in Iraq
Abstract
Background: Bed bugs are blood-feeding insects and are an important urban pest. Bed bugs are nocturnal insects and hide in cracks in walls and beds during the day. The study aims to: (1) determine the bed bugs species that infest Iraq, their infestation source, and their distribution; (2) determine the level of awareness and concern regarding bed bugs among the Iraqi community.
Methods: Between 2020 and 2021, a survey of bed bug infestation dynamics was conducted in 18 infested sites located in major cities across eight governorates. The 23-item online survey was distributed over social media to Iraqi citizens between June and July 2022 to survey on their familiarity with bed bug habitat, medical significance, transmission, prevention, control measures, and concerns.
Results: There were a total of 1104 bed bugs collected. Based on the morphological characteristics, bed bugs collected from eight Iraqi governorates are identified as Cimex hemipterus. Besides, a high rate of bed bug infestation was observed in workers' dormitories. The online questionnaire was answered by 1843 respondents and based on the feedback, most respondents (55.3%) have no awareness of bed bug infestations, while around 43.8% are somewhat concerned about bed bug infestations in Iraq.
Conclusion: Only tropical bed bugs, C. hemipterus were found in all sampled sites. Bed bug infestations are mainly caused by migrant workers and the reuse of second-hand furniture and clothing. The results suggest that the Iraqi government should organize more proper demonstrations on bed bug awareness for the public.
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2. Hwang SW, Svoboda TJ, De Jong IJ, Kabasele KJ, Gogosis E (2005) Bed bug infestations in an urban environment. Emerg Infect Dis. 11: 533–538.
3. Delaunay P, Blanc V, Del Giudice P, Levy-Bencheton A, Chosidow O, Marty P, Brou¬qui P (2011) Bedbugs and infec-tious diseases. Clin Infect Dis. 52: 200–210.
4. Zorrilla-Vaca A, Silva-Medina MM, Escan¬dón-Vargas K. Bedbugs (2015) Cimex spp. their current world resur-gence and healthcare impact. Asian Pac J Trop Dis. 5: 342–352.
5. Koganemaru R, Miller DM (2013) The bed bug problem: past, present, and future con¬trol methods. Pestic Biochem Phys¬iol. 106: 177–189.
6. Davies TGE, Field LM, Williamson MS (2012) The re‐emergence of the bed bug as a nuisance pest: implications of re-sistance to the pyrethroid insecticides. Med Vet Entomol. 26(3): 241–254.
7. Abul-hab J (1980) A list of arthropod of med¬ical and veterinary importance rec¬orded from Iraq. Biol Bull Russ Res Cent. 12: 9–40.
8. Ameen KA H (2019) The first study on prevalence of bed bug in Iraq-Kurdistan region: a warning message. Tikrit J Pure Sci. 24(2): 5–9.
9. Augul RS, Al-Saffar HH (2019) Survey with checklist of the invasive insects to Iraq. Bull Iraq Nat Hist Mus. 15: 343–361.
10. Doggett SL, Lee CY (2023) Historical and contemporary control options against bed bugs, Cimex spp. Annu Rev Ento¬mol. 68: 169–190.
11. Winegar RD, Rick S, Johnson A (2013) Bed bugs and beyond: a call to action for advanced practice registered nurses. J Nurse Pract. 9(8): 536–540.
12. Doggett SL, Orton CJ, Lilly DG, Russell RC (2011) Bed bugs: the Australian re-sponse. Insects. 2(2): 96–111.
13. Gbakima AA, Terry BC, Kanja F, Korte-quee S, Dukuley I, Sahr F (2002) High prevalence of bedbugs Cimex hemipter-us and Cimex lectularius in camps for in¬ternally displaced persons in Free-town, Sierra Leone: a pilot humanitarian inves¬tigation. West Afr J Med. 21(4): 268–271.
15. Chinnakali P, Gurnani N, Upadhyay RP, Parmar K, Suri TM, Yadav K (2012) High level of awareness but poor prac¬tices re¬garding dengue fever control: a cross-sectional study from North India. N Am J Med Sci. 4(6): 278–282.
16. Karunamoorthi K, Beyene B, Ambelu A (2015) Prevalence, knowledge and self-reported containment practices about bed¬bugs in the resource-limited setting of Ethi¬opia: a descriptive cross-sectional survey. Health. 7: 1142–1157.
17. Alizadeh I, Sharififard M, Jahanifard E, Rajaei F, Mousavian G, Mehraghaei M (2018) Identification, knowledge, and aware¬ness of people regarding public health nuisance insect Cimex lectularius in Southwest of Iran. Jundishapur J Health Sci. 10(3): e81133.
18. Seidel C, Reinhardt K (2013) Bugging fore¬cast: unknown, disliked, occasional¬ly in¬timate. Bed bugs in Germany meet un¬prepared people. PloS One. 8(1): e51083.
19. Asshoff R, Heuckmann B, Ryl M, Rein-hardt K (2022) Bed bugs live in dirty places how using live animals in teach-ing contributes to reducing rtigma, dis-gust, psychological stigma, and misin-formation in students. CBE Life Sci Educ. 21(4): ar73.
20. Alizadeh I, Jahanifard E, Sharififard M (2020) Effects of resident education and self-implementation of integrated pest man¬agement strategy for eliminating bed¬bug infestation in Ahvaz City, South¬western Iran. J Arthropod Borne Dis. 14 (1): 68–77.
21. Cochran WG (1977) Sampling Tech-niques. John Wiley and Sons.
22. Independentarabia (2022) Foreign labor in Iraq is a strong presence despite the ex¬acerbation of unemployment. Available at: https://www.independentarabia.com/node/391391
23. Zulaikha Z, Hassan AA (2016) A survey on the infestation levels of tropical bed bugs in Peninsular Malaysia: Current up¬dates and status on resurgence of Ci-mex hemipterus (Hemiptera: Cimicidae). Asian Pac J Trop Dis. 6: 40–45.
24. Wan Mohammad, WNF Soh LS, Wan Is-mail WN, Veera Singham G (2020) In-festation pattern and population dynam-ics of the tropical bed bug, Cimex he-mip¬terus (F.) (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) based on novel microsatellites and mtDNA mark¬ers. Insects. 11(8): 472.
25. Gangloff-Kaufmann J, Hollingsworth C, Hahn J, Hansen L, Kard B, Waldvogel M (2006) Bed bugs in America: a pest management industry survey. Am En-tomol. 52(2): 105–106.
26. Cooper RA, Wang C, Singh N (2016) Eval¬uation of a model community‐wide bed bug management program in af-fordable housing. Pest Manag Sci. 72(1): 45–56.
27. Ibrahim O, Syed U M, Tomecki KJ (2017) Bedbugs: helping your patient through an infestation. Cleve Clin J Med. 84(3): 207–211.
28. Akhoundi M, Raharisoa A, Andrianjafy RL, Chebbah D, Razanakolona LRS, Izri A (2022) Morphological and mo¬lecular iden¬tification of Cimex hemip¬terus Fabricius, 1803 (Hemiptera: Cimi¬cidae) and first report of C. lectularius Linnaeus, 1758, in Madagascar. J Med Entomol. 59(3): 1081–1085.
29. Zhang J, Xia Y, Wang C, Han D, Ren D, Zheng J, Xu X, He Y, Wang D (2020) Morphological and molecular identifica¬tion of tropical bed bugs from two cities of the rearl river delta in China. J Med Entomol. 58(1): 471–474
30. Durand R, Cannet A, Berdjane Z, Bruel C, Haouchine D, Delaunay P, Izri (2012) In¬festation by pyrethroids resistant bed bugs in the suburb of Paris, France. Par-asite. 19(4): 381–387.
31. Jarallah HM, Aabadi HI (2022) Distribu-tion of endemic parasitic diseases in Iraq. Egypt J Vet Sci. 53(4): 475–481.
32. Adeyeye A, Adams A, Herring L, Currie BP (2010) Bed bug infestation on a ma-ternity unit in a tertiary care center. Am J Infect Control. 3: E82.
33. Wang C, Saltzmann K, Chin E, Bennett GW, Gibb T (2010) Characteristics of Cimex lectularius (Hemiptera: Cimici¬dae), infes¬tation and dispersal in a high-rise apart¬ment building. J Econ Ento¬mol. 103: 172–177.
34. Tekin CS, Bagriacik N (2021) Knowledge level about insects and mites of health school students. Clin Exp Health Sci. 11 (2): 235–241.
35. Anderson A, Leffler K (2008) Bedbug in-festations in the news: A picture of an emerging public health problem in the United States. J Environ Health. 70(9): 24–28.
36. Reinhardt K, Kempke D, Naylor R, Siva-Jothy MT (2009) Sensitivity to bed bug bites, Cimex lectularius. Med Vet En-tomol. 23: 163–166.
37. Wang L, Wang C, Xu Y, Zeng L (2016) Current research on the resurgence, bi-ology and control of bed bugs. Acta En-tomol Sin. 59(9): 1021–1032.
38. Hentley WT, Webster B, Evison SE, Siva-Jothy MT (2017) Bed bug aggregation on dirty laundry: a mechanism for pas¬sive dispersal. Sci Rep. 7: 1–5.
2. Hwang SW, Svoboda TJ, De Jong IJ, Kabasele KJ, Gogosis E (2005) Bed bug infestations in an urban environment. Emerg Infect Dis. 11: 533–538.
3. Delaunay P, Blanc V, Del Giudice P, Levy-Bencheton A, Chosidow O, Marty P, Brou¬qui P (2011) Bedbugs and infec-tious diseases. Clin Infect Dis. 52: 200–210.
4. Zorrilla-Vaca A, Silva-Medina MM, Escan¬dón-Vargas K. Bedbugs (2015) Cimex spp. their current world resur-gence and healthcare impact. Asian Pac J Trop Dis. 5: 342–352.
5. Koganemaru R, Miller DM (2013) The bed bug problem: past, present, and future con¬trol methods. Pestic Biochem Phys¬iol. 106: 177–189.
6. Davies TGE, Field LM, Williamson MS (2012) The re‐emergence of the bed bug as a nuisance pest: implications of re-sistance to the pyrethroid insecticides. Med Vet Entomol. 26(3): 241–254.
7. Abul-hab J (1980) A list of arthropod of med¬ical and veterinary importance rec¬orded from Iraq. Biol Bull Russ Res Cent. 12: 9–40.
8. Ameen KA H (2019) The first study on prevalence of bed bug in Iraq-Kurdistan region: a warning message. Tikrit J Pure Sci. 24(2): 5–9.
9. Augul RS, Al-Saffar HH (2019) Survey with checklist of the invasive insects to Iraq. Bull Iraq Nat Hist Mus. 15: 343–361.
10. Doggett SL, Lee CY (2023) Historical and contemporary control options against bed bugs, Cimex spp. Annu Rev Ento¬mol. 68: 169–190.
11. Winegar RD, Rick S, Johnson A (2013) Bed bugs and beyond: a call to action for advanced practice registered nurses. J Nurse Pract. 9(8): 536–540.
12. Doggett SL, Orton CJ, Lilly DG, Russell RC (2011) Bed bugs: the Australian re-sponse. Insects. 2(2): 96–111.
13. Gbakima AA, Terry BC, Kanja F, Korte-quee S, Dukuley I, Sahr F (2002) High prevalence of bedbugs Cimex hemipter-us and Cimex lectularius in camps for in¬ternally displaced persons in Free-town, Sierra Leone: a pilot humanitarian inves¬tigation. West Afr J Med. 21(4): 268–271.
15. Chinnakali P, Gurnani N, Upadhyay RP, Parmar K, Suri TM, Yadav K (2012) High level of awareness but poor prac¬tices re¬garding dengue fever control: a cross-sectional study from North India. N Am J Med Sci. 4(6): 278–282.
16. Karunamoorthi K, Beyene B, Ambelu A (2015) Prevalence, knowledge and self-reported containment practices about bed¬bugs in the resource-limited setting of Ethi¬opia: a descriptive cross-sectional survey. Health. 7: 1142–1157.
17. Alizadeh I, Sharififard M, Jahanifard E, Rajaei F, Mousavian G, Mehraghaei M (2018) Identification, knowledge, and aware¬ness of people regarding public health nuisance insect Cimex lectularius in Southwest of Iran. Jundishapur J Health Sci. 10(3): e81133.
18. Seidel C, Reinhardt K (2013) Bugging fore¬cast: unknown, disliked, occasional¬ly in¬timate. Bed bugs in Germany meet un¬prepared people. PloS One. 8(1): e51083.
19. Asshoff R, Heuckmann B, Ryl M, Rein-hardt K (2022) Bed bugs live in dirty places how using live animals in teach-ing contributes to reducing rtigma, dis-gust, psychological stigma, and misin-formation in students. CBE Life Sci Educ. 21(4): ar73.
20. Alizadeh I, Jahanifard E, Sharififard M (2020) Effects of resident education and self-implementation of integrated pest man¬agement strategy for eliminating bed¬bug infestation in Ahvaz City, South¬western Iran. J Arthropod Borne Dis. 14 (1): 68–77.
21. Cochran WG (1977) Sampling Tech-niques. John Wiley and Sons.
22. Independentarabia (2022) Foreign labor in Iraq is a strong presence despite the ex¬acerbation of unemployment. Available at: https://www.independentarabia.com/node/391391
23. Zulaikha Z, Hassan AA (2016) A survey on the infestation levels of tropical bed bugs in Peninsular Malaysia: Current up¬dates and status on resurgence of Ci-mex hemipterus (Hemiptera: Cimicidae). Asian Pac J Trop Dis. 6: 40–45.
24. Wan Mohammad, WNF Soh LS, Wan Is-mail WN, Veera Singham G (2020) In-festation pattern and population dynam-ics of the tropical bed bug, Cimex he-mip¬terus (F.) (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) based on novel microsatellites and mtDNA mark¬ers. Insects. 11(8): 472.
25. Gangloff-Kaufmann J, Hollingsworth C, Hahn J, Hansen L, Kard B, Waldvogel M (2006) Bed bugs in America: a pest management industry survey. Am En-tomol. 52(2): 105–106.
26. Cooper RA, Wang C, Singh N (2016) Eval¬uation of a model community‐wide bed bug management program in af-fordable housing. Pest Manag Sci. 72(1): 45–56.
27. Ibrahim O, Syed U M, Tomecki KJ (2017) Bedbugs: helping your patient through an infestation. Cleve Clin J Med. 84(3): 207–211.
28. Akhoundi M, Raharisoa A, Andrianjafy RL, Chebbah D, Razanakolona LRS, Izri A (2022) Morphological and mo¬lecular iden¬tification of Cimex hemip¬terus Fabricius, 1803 (Hemiptera: Cimi¬cidae) and first report of C. lectularius Linnaeus, 1758, in Madagascar. J Med Entomol. 59(3): 1081–1085.
29. Zhang J, Xia Y, Wang C, Han D, Ren D, Zheng J, Xu X, He Y, Wang D (2020) Morphological and molecular identifica¬tion of tropical bed bugs from two cities of the rearl river delta in China. J Med Entomol. 58(1): 471–474
30. Durand R, Cannet A, Berdjane Z, Bruel C, Haouchine D, Delaunay P, Izri (2012) In¬festation by pyrethroids resistant bed bugs in the suburb of Paris, France. Par-asite. 19(4): 381–387.
31. Jarallah HM, Aabadi HI (2022) Distribu-tion of endemic parasitic diseases in Iraq. Egypt J Vet Sci. 53(4): 475–481.
32. Adeyeye A, Adams A, Herring L, Currie BP (2010) Bed bug infestation on a ma-ternity unit in a tertiary care center. Am J Infect Control. 3: E82.
33. Wang C, Saltzmann K, Chin E, Bennett GW, Gibb T (2010) Characteristics of Cimex lectularius (Hemiptera: Cimici¬dae), infes¬tation and dispersal in a high-rise apart¬ment building. J Econ Ento¬mol. 103: 172–177.
34. Tekin CS, Bagriacik N (2021) Knowledge level about insects and mites of health school students. Clin Exp Health Sci. 11 (2): 235–241.
35. Anderson A, Leffler K (2008) Bedbug in-festations in the news: A picture of an emerging public health problem in the United States. J Environ Health. 70(9): 24–28.
36. Reinhardt K, Kempke D, Naylor R, Siva-Jothy MT (2009) Sensitivity to bed bug bites, Cimex lectularius. Med Vet En-tomol. 23: 163–166.
37. Wang L, Wang C, Xu Y, Zeng L (2016) Current research on the resurgence, bi-ology and control of bed bugs. Acta En-tomol Sin. 59(9): 1021–1032.
38. Hentley WT, Webster B, Evison SE, Siva-Jothy MT (2017) Bed bug aggregation on dirty laundry: a mechanism for pas¬sive dispersal. Sci Rep. 7: 1–5.
| Files | ||
| Issue | Vol 17 No 3 (2023) | |
| Section | Original Article | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.18502/jad.v17i3.14985 | |
| Keywords | ||
| Bed bug Cimex hemipterus Infestation dynamics Public health Iraq | ||
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
How to Cite
1.
Baqir H, Li W-J, Wang J-G, Quan-Ong S, Ab Majid AH. Public Awareness, Perception, and Knowledge of Bed Bug Infestation Prevalence in Iraq. J Arthropod Borne Dis. 2024;17(3):241–256.
