As the problem of bedbugs spreads to D.C., the city is readying itself for an infestation akin to the one in New York City. While Georgetown has largely remained unaffected, city officials are not as optimistic for the District as a whole.

D.C. is currently the ninth most common location of bedbug infestations, according to Terminix, a pest-control company. However, D.C. remains relatively bedbug-free, as compared to New York City, where The New York Times reported that one in 15 New Yorkers had bedbugs in 2009.

The Department of Health has responded to the rise in bedbug infestations with an aggressive outreach campaign that will lead to a bedbug educational summit in January 2011. According to Gerard Brown, program manager of the Rodent and Vector Control Division, such education has helped dispel the stigma surrounding bedbugs.

Some common misconceptions are that bedbugs transmit disease and that bedbugs signify poor sanitation, both of which are false, according to Brown.

“Looking at other cities such as New York and Cleveland, we have not reached that level of infestation, and we think it is due to our aggressive outreach campaign,” Brown said. He also noted the Rodent and Vector Control Division’s relatively recent role in combating bedbugs. “When [bedbugs] first returned there was not a dedicated department formulated for bedbugs, but we took on the responsibility,” Brown said.

Despite the efforts of the Department of Health, bedbugs have spread through D.C., making their way closer to the university. Last weekend, bedbugs were found in an office at the U.S. Agency for International Development. Within the past two months Bedbugregistry.com has had three registered complaints from the Marriott Hotel in D.C. – only a bus stop away from Georgetown.

Only one case has been reported at Georgetown so far. The infestation occurred in the first weeks of September and only occurred in one townhouse.

According to university spokeswoman Julie Bataille, mattresses used in the residence halls are treated against insect infestation. While Georgetown does not have an emergency response plan in place should there be a bedbug outbreak, one “could certainly be put in place should the need arise,” Bataille said in an email.

In the email, Bataille noted the townhouse bedbugs as an isolated incident. Current protocol dictates that a pest control specialist examine the affected area and determine treatment appropriate to the situation.

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