Bed bugs are nuisance biters whose bites commonly cause intense itching and significant psychological discomfort; additionally, their bites have been associated with allergic reactions and secondary infections, including impetigo, ecthyma, and lymphangitis. Stigma surrounding bed bug infestations often discourages schools that have experienced infestations from reporting them to appropriate authorities, thereby hindering timely support and intervention. As a result, knowledge of the impact of bed bugs on public health within educational settings remains limited. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, knowledge and containment practices about bed bugs in three selected Senior High Schools in Ghana. In this regard, a cross-sectional survey was conducted between February and July 2023, focusing on bed bug collection, species profiling, and questionnaire administration. A total of 273 bed bugs were collected using forceps and brushes. Based on the morphological characteristics, bed bugs collected from the three Senior High Schools were identified as Cimex hemipterus and Cimex lectularius. The questionnaire was answered by 451 respondents, targeting their knowledge, prevalence, and practices related to bed bug infestation in three senior high schools in Kumasi, Ghana, and the processes taken to control the infestation. Based on the feedback, 99.3% (376/451) of the students had ample awareness of bed bug infestation. Among the criteria considered sufficient to confirm a bed bug infestation, direct observation of both live and dead bed bugs, their exuviae, faecal spotting and eggs were the most commonly cited responses. The responses indicate that every single school assessed has witnessed at least one intervention for bed bugs. Faced with an infestation, most of the respondents used a combination of nonchemical (washing bedding, disposal of infested furniture) and chemical methods (insecticide sprays), and systematically performed two treatments. The age of respondents (6–25 years) showed a notable association with bedbug awareness (p-value = 0.001), and the school attended by respondents presented a slight but significant variation in knowledge of disease transmission by bed bugs (X2 = 16.737, p-value = 0.033). The study confirmed Cimex hemipterus as the dominant species in the selected schools and revealed high awareness of infestations among students. However, the perceived ineffectiveness of current fumigation methods and persistent misconceptions regarding disease transmission highlight significant gaps in management strategies. Consequently, we recommend educational interventions for stakeholders and the adoption of integrated pest management strategies to ensure successful eradication.
Kwarteng et al. (Sun,) studied this question.