Bedbugs found in Bloomington Hospital

Officials confirmed Sunday that bedbugs have been found in Bloomington Hospital.

The hospital has implemented procedures to ensure the bugs do not spread to further places.

The bedbugs have been contained in two rooms, Bloomington Hospital spokeswoman, Amanda Roach, said.

Since Saturday, the rooms have been heated to a certain temperature that will destroy the bedbugs, Roach said. No time frame was given for when all of the bedbugs will be destroyed.

The Bloomington Hospital staff is conducting procedures to ensure patients who are leaving the hospital do not spread bedbugs to other places, Roach said.

Patients are now required to take showers and undergo visual inspections by the hospital staff to ensure they are not unknowingly carrying bedbugs on them.

The hospital is also heating patients’ belongings to a temperature high enough to destroy bedbugs if they were to have spread to their personal belongings.

It is suspected the bedbugs were brought into the hospital from one individual, Roach said. However, the specific instance is not known.

— Brooke Lillard