New mother says she was bitten by bedbugs at Thunder Bay hospital

Michelle Allan · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 14, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

A caller ma says she was bitten by bedbugs portion staying astatine the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) past month.

Justice Widmeyer, who lives adjacent Barwick, Ont., gave birth to twins connected March 21. While her twins were successful the neonatal intensive attraction portion (NICU), she said she stayed successful a "parenting room."

After 4 oregon 5 days, she said her and her spouse woke up with reddish marks connected their bodies they judge are bedbug bites.

"After we recovered retired that they had bedbugs successful the room, I didn't adjacent spot the babies that nighttime due to the fact that I felt gross, similar I didn't privation to go contaminate the babies," she said. 

Widmeyer said the accent of worrying astir bedbugs added to the anxiety of being a caller ma recovering from a C-section with twins successful the NICU.

"It conscionable made everything other conscionable adjacent much affectional and it was much traumatic," she said. 

She said they were transferred to different parenting room, but she claims the 2nd country besides had bedbugs. The mates ended up uncovering a edifice nearby, instead.

Widmeyer said she would similar to spot the infirmary bash much to forestall this from happening to different patients. 

"It's already stressful enough giving birth, fto unsocial having babies successful the NICU and having babies for the archetypal time … cipher should person to woody with furniture bugs connected apical of that."

Widmeyer said she volition besides beryllium filing a ailment with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit.

'Only a fewer isolated incidents involving bedbugs' this year: hospital 

"Over the past 12 months, determination person been lone a fewer isolated incidents involving bedbugs, and successful each case, we person taken swift and effectual action," said a infirmary spokesperson successful an emailed effect to CBC.

TBRHSC said portion it is hard to forestall bedbugs from coming into hospitals connected radical oregon their clothing, it has rigorous cleaning protocols.

"Every diligent country undergoes a thorough cleaning and turnover process aft discharge. This includes proactively inspecting for immoderate signs of bedbugs," said the email.

It said that nonrecreational exterminators are hired erstwhile necessary. 

Bedbug infestations seemingly connected the emergence successful Thunder Bay: exterminator

Roger Mayer, co-owner of B&R Pest Control, says he's seen an summation successful calls to dainty bedbugs successful Thunder Bay recently.

Treating a ample nationalist abstraction similar a infirmary is not arsenic casual arsenic treating an idiosyncratic dwelling with bedbugs, said Mayer.

 "You tin bash it, but it's precise difficult. And not conscionable difficult, it tin beryllium costly," helium said.

Ideally, the country would request to beryllium closed disconnected to radical wholly for 4 to six hours.

"If you tin cordon disconnected the country and not person the nationalist and employees going successful determination for the clip period, that would astir apt work. But judging by however unfastened a batch of areas are, it's precise hard to do," said Mayer. 

Bedbugs communal successful Thunder Bay: wellness inspector

Preventing bedbugs from getting into a abstraction is precise hard, said Matt Bradica, a nationalist wellness inspector with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit.

"Bed bugs are wherever humans are. They spell wherever humans spell and they're a truly communal contented successful Thunder Bay," helium said. 

Bradica said businesses and institutions tin bid unit to spot the signs of bedbugs truthful they tin enactment rapidly against immoderate imaginable infestations. 

Anyone who thinks they've been exposed to bedbugs tin cheque their sleeping country for signs, said Bradica. Bedbugs tin beryllium killed by washing bedding and apparel with blistery h2o and putting non-washable items successful a dryer connected precocious vigor for 30 minutes. Vacuuming the country tin besides assistance get escaped of immoderate bedbugs oregon eggs that whitethorn beryllium present, helium said.

It's important to enactment fast, helium said.

"A fewer furniture bugs tin multiply to similar hundreds wrong a fewer weeks," said Bradica.