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Flying this holiday beware of bed bug bites on planes

With the recent bed bug scares on-board planes, more passengers are more concern and fury of being a similar victim of bed bug invasion. The last thing you would expect on a would-be comfortable flight is to have your personal spaces intruded by these biting pests.

This might be scare you: bed bugs leave behind rows of small red itchy bites on your body. You may wonder there are so many people on the plane, why me? Bed bugs are attracted to body heat and warm temperature, with female bed bugs having a need to bite for a blood meal to lay eggs – they soon find humans through heat detection to locate their preys. Therefore, if you have a relatively higher body temperature than others, you may make an easy prey.

While bed bug bites can be itchy, red, swelling and painful, what you need to know is that bed bug bites are harmless and it spreads no diseases. Some people may develop an allergy to the bites (in this case, the itchiness and redness) while some other people do not develop any symptoms at all when bitten.

Now why do planes carry bed bugs and what would happen next for these flight passengers affected?

Typically, bed bugs infestation spread wide and easily through different mode of transportations. Airplane is definitely one of these easy transportations for signs of bed bugs. This is because bed bugs are excellent ‘hitchhikers’ and they take a ride on items such as your luggage, people’s clothing and bags. Infestation from one place to another occurs easily with today’s modern development in travelling, transportation and accommodation.

So, what happens next is when you find out you or your family gets bitten by bed bugs, or have just returned from an overseas holiday, first of all you need to do- is to stay calm and do not panic. Follow these 3 simple steps to make it right:

  1. Be alert and also learn to . If you feel that something is not right, raise an alert promptly to the flight crew. If you discover back at home or after your trip, do consult a medical doctor for advice.
  2. Find out the essential "dos and don'ts" after a trip here. After landing care tips are important to prevent you from accidentally bringing bed bugs infestation to home. Because when you bring one or two homes, it is possible to experience an infestation in just 10 weeks.
  3. Be sure to check your bedroom for any potential signs and evidence of bed bug invasion. This is usually the 1st point of location attack among this blood sucking pest. Learn more about these globetrotters today in this useful infographic.

Professional help is the best way to help you get rid of bed bugs and stop these bed bug bites effectively. Rentokil Indonesia welcomes you to drop in an online form for any of your pest concerns.

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