‘We originally thought there were mosquitoes’: Hougang residents blame discarded mattress for infestation of bedbugs

SINGAPORE: Discarded mattresses had caused great inconvenience to residents at an HDB block when bedbugs were suspected to breed on the exterior walls, entering units. With this, some residents suffer from red and swollen arms after being bitten.

As reported by Shin Min Daily News, a 62-year-old resident who lives on the 14th floor of a HDB block in Hougang Avenue shared that she noticed that someone had left mattresses downstairs near their garbage bins, and no one had cleaned them up for a week. At first, she did not mind these mattresses at all, until she noticed swelling and itching on her arms, and surprisingly found bedbugs in her sheets. 

With her discovery, she observed even more and found out that the bedbugs were also on the exterior of the HDB flats. When she followed the trail, she further discovered that these insects came from the mattresses and reported the situation to the authorities. 

Due to the bites, she admitted that she had a hard time sleeping due to itchiness and needed to go to the doctor to be prescribed an anti-itch cream. 

“We also bought insect repellent at the supermarket and sprayed it on the bed. So far, we haven’t seen any bed bugs, and the redness and swelling on our arms have almost subsided,” she further shared. 

When reporters visited the building, there was also a couple living on the sixth floor who were affected, stating that their son was suspected of being bitten by the said bedbugs. 

“We originally thought there were mosquitoes, so we used incense to fumigate the room to get rid of them,” they admitted. 

Fortunately, some residents who were interviewed stated that they were not affected. 

According to authorities, they had already sent people to remove the mattresses and clean the flats to maintain cleanliness and hygiene. Furthermore, the Town Council also hired pest control operators for spraying treatments. 

“We will continue to closely monitor the situation and take necessary measures to maintain the cleanliness and hygiene of the HDB estates.”

Other related news 

In similar news related to HDB complaints, there was a recent report where a recycling bin caught fire at an HDB block in Punggol. 

Fortunately, there were no other items near the recycling bin that might have caused the blaze to spread. 

Read more about the news story here.