IRISH tourists heading to Spain have been warned of a new species of a tropical bug.
The insects have been reportedly found in hotels and other tourist accommodation across the country.
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Spain’s National Association of Environmental Health Companies (ANECPLA) has warned that these bugs feed on human blood.
They are approximately five to six millimetres in length and are of the same species as bed bugs.
The bites are known to cause discomfort, insomnia or stress along with the possibility of different allergic reactions.
ANECPLA chief Jorge Galvan warned the insects can end up hiding among clothes or suitcases and can cause new infestations.
He said: “Due to their tiny size, it is common for them to stow away among clothes or suitcases, causing new infestations in homes, hotels, apartments.
“Globalisation, higher levels of pollution and rising temperatures due to climate change are behind this resurgence of bedbugs in Europe.”
He added: “This is undoubtedly a very serious emerging public health problem that we at ANECPLA believe is important to transcend the private sphere and be addressed at the institutional level.
“Otherwise, we run the risk of it becoming chronic, with all the implications that this may have.”
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The presence of the insects has been closely linked to the hotel and tourist accommodation sector.
And experts have stressed that the quality of the accommodation doesn’t matter for these bugs.
Cimex hemipterus, the bed bug species is originally from Asia but has been colonising the US, Australia and Europe in recent years.
The species is highly resistant to the usual insecticides.
Galvan said: “It is very important that professional pest management services, who have the necessary specific knowledge, are in charge of dealing with the problem from an approach based on the biology and habitat of this species.”
While bed bugs have not been known to transmit disease, ANECPLA warn that the situation could change.
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They said: “ANECPLA urges the necessary collaboration between the sector and the Public Administrations in order to carry out a more rigorous control of this issue.
“Until now, Chagas disease – a fatal disease endemic to Central and South America – has been the only one proven to be transmitted by bed bugs, despite its powerful vectorial capacity. However, this circumstance can change at any time.”
