Bedbugs discovered at Yellowknife’s Stanton Hospital

Staff at Stanton Hospital in Yellowknife found two bedbugs in two different rooms about a week ago.

"The staff lounge and the male locker rooms were immediately closed,” says Dr. Anna Reid, medical director with the Stanton Territorial Health Authority. 

Staff who had used either of those areas were notified and told to remove their clothing, put them in sealed bags and given instructions for how to launder them properly when they got home.

Reid says pest exterminators have sprayed both rooms and furniture in the lounge has been destroyed .

The exterminator will return to spray both areas one more time and they've set traps in case other bedbugs show up.

Reid says it's a good sign they haven't found any eggs.

Bedbugs don’t carry diseases or pose health risks, but they can cause skin discomfort.

The Northwest Territories' Department of Health has information on its website about how to deal with bedbugs for anyone with concerns.