Bed bugs found at hospital's emergency room in California

VISALIA, Calif. -- There is no question, bed bugs have a bad reputation.

"Yeah, get itchy, bed bugs, yeah it doesn't sound good," said Erik De Haro

The reaction is especially strong when they are found in public places, such as hotel room or hospitals.

De Haro was surprised when he found out Kaweah Delta Medical Center's Emergency Department had the pest.

On Thursday, he was visiting a cousin staying at the hospital.

"They have patients in here that have other problems and then adding bed bugs to that might not be the best thing," said De Haro.

Kaweah Delta says a patient brought bed bugs to the emergency department last week.

A spokesperson said quote:

"Our team's control measures included caring for patients and thoroughly cleaning rooms known to have bed bugs. Additionally, we examined every room in the ED and brought in a pest control company to treat rooms where bugs might have been present."

The centers for disease control and prevention says that the presence of the pest is quote "not determined by the cleanliness of the living conditions where they are found."

According to the environmental protection agency, bed bugs reproduce quickly and feed on human blood, causing itchy bites to its host, but they are not known to transmit or spread disease.

For anyone who recently visited or stayed at Kaweah Delta, it is recommended you check thoroughly for the pest, and if found, start treatment procedures.