Youngsters in new school after bed bug invasion – WUSA9.com

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The building will likely have to stay closed for the rest of the month.

Bruce Leshan, WUSA 5:59 PM. EST February 08, 2017

WASHINGTON (WUSA9) - Hundreds of D.C. students are back in school after a couple of days of chaos. Savoy Elementary has been struggling to deal with an outbreak of bed bugs that left some youngsters bit up and miserable.

Experts say bed bugs are actually quite common. But infestations are pretty rare. And the one at Savoy is apparently so bad that the building is likely to be closed for the rest of the month while workers clean it up.

RELATED:DC elementary school closed for bed bugs

The Savoy students piled into buses in the morning, and after two unscheduled days off, headed to a hastily renovated school building a couple of miles away. "I'm excited, I'm happy they're back in school, because they need the learning," said Regina McCallum, a mother of two.

Parents say they've been complaining for weeks about bed bugs in the Savoy school.

"Administrators finally closed it on Monday and Tuesday, while workers raced to get the vacant Ferebee Hope building ready to host youngsters again," said Humberto Gittens.

Bed bugs are great hitchhikers and can easily travel back and forth between home and school on bags and backpacks. They feed on human blood, and they're bites can be painful, but have not been shown to carry disease.

The EPA says you usually do not need to close a school to deal with them. But the problem at Savoy is apparently bad enough that the school is tossing out and replacing all it's old rugs and furniture, where the bugs can lay their eggs.

Parents say shuttling to the new building is a hassle, but they'll deal with it.

"It's kind of sad, but they've got to get an education no matter what. It will work. It's kind of a mess, but I guess it's ok," said Shienna Manning.

RELATED:How to get rid of bed bugs

No word from D.C. schools on any other buildings that might be struggling with bed bugs. But again, they're common and usually quite manageable. Five years ago, the EPA says there were 4,000 reports of bed bugs in New York City schools alone.

The EPA says you can usually deal with bed bugs by cleaning up clutter, vacuuming, soap and water, and a hot clothes dryer. You may also want to encase your mattresses. If none of that works, higher a pro who uses what's called "integrated pest management."

( 2017 WUSA)

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