Pharmacies are running out of the ‘most effective’ bed bug bite treatment amid a surge in outbreaks in the UK linked to France.
Hydrocortisone cream supply is ‘patchy’ across the country, according to Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Association for Independent Multiple Pharmacies.
The over-the-counter steroid lotion, commonly used for eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis, can ease the itchiness and inflammation trigger by the bites.
Dr Hannbeck warned of ‘high demand’ as Brits battle outbreaks or stock up on the £3.50 ointment before travelling to France, where officials have warned ‘no one is safe’.
The French Government has held crisis meetings and are battling to get the bugs under control before it hosts the 2024 Olympics. Schools and libraries have been forced to close, while travellers have complained about the critters in Airbnbs, hotels, cinemas and restaurants.
Is your city on the list? This map reveals which of the UK’s 20 largest cities have the worst bed bug infestations for their population size
Butlin’s told MailOnline it was still investigating the case but had found no evidence of bed bugs in the apartment
Dr Hannbeck warned of ‘high demand’ as Brits battle outbreaks or stock up on the £3.50 ointment before travelling to France , where officials have warned ‘no one is safe’. Pictured: HC45 Hydrocortisone Cream made by E45
Following in Paris’ footsteps, London now seems to have been caught up in the bed bug boom with footage surfacing of the blood-suckers on the underground and buses
Dr Hannbeck told MailOnline that pharmacies are struggling to secure sufficient stock to keep up with demand.
She said: ‘The supply is patchy and many pharmacies have run out of stock or are running out if stock. There have been higher demand for the products.’
Some varieties of the cream — which can be bought over the counter — are out of stock online, including at Boots and Superdrug.
Dr Hannbeck said the spike in demand follows media coverage of bed bug outbreaks in France, which has led some to stock up before they travel to France or treat bites that they got in the UK.
However, she urged people not to worry, as alternative treatments are available.
These include antihistamines and calamine lotion, a mild antiseptic cream that eases skin irritation.
‘A cold compress can also be used to reduce the itchiness and inflammation,’ Dr Hannbeck added.
While the bugs don’t carry any diseases that could sicken humans, their bite can leave behind an itchy red mark.
Dr Hannbeck urged those who have bed bug bites not to itch them to cut the risk of them getting infected.
The Evening Standard contacted 30 pharmacies in London, half of which reported they were worried about the lack of hydrocortisone cream.
Staff warned that the shortage ‘is not helpful’ amid a rise in bed bug outbreaks and that people could ‘find things difficult’ if the cream — which is the ‘most effective method of treating people’ — doesn’t come back in stock.
David Cain, a molecular biologist and founder of a London-based specialist bed bug removal firm, said there had been ‘exponential growth’ in bed bug cases over the last 20 years and that they are now ‘out of control’.
He added: ‘The problem is worse now than it’s been since probably the 1930s and 1940s.’
Experts say this is down a resistance to pesticides, making the bugs harder to eradicate, a post-Covid travel boom, encouraging a resurgence in numbers and rising temperatures, which helps the insects spread faster.
It is believed that up to 30 per cent of all UK homes were infested with bed bugs after WWII, according to pest control firm Rentokil.
Although named for their habit of nesting in mattresses, bed bugs, which are around the size of an apple seed, can also live in sofas, carpets and furniture.
They hide in small cracks and crevices as thin as a credit card and mainly feed at night. Homes, hotels, public transport, workplaces, schools, cinemas, theatres, shops, pubs and restaurants are at risk of infestations.
Bed bugs spread by making their way into clothing or luggage, meaning people can unwittingly help them hitch-hike between locations and start a fresh outbreak. They can also crawl between rooms in hotels and blocks of flats.
Due to repeated exposure to pesticides, the remaining bed bug populations have become extremely resistant to the chemicals used to treat infestations
Dr Richard Naylor, an entomologist from the Bed Bug Foundation, told MailOnline: ‘There are multiple factors that contribute to the bed bug’s success. They thrive wherever human population density is high because this makes it easy for them to spread.
‘In apartment buildings and sheltered housing complexes they can easily walk down corridors and under doors, gradually infesting the whole building.’
They quickly reproduce, with each female bug laying one to seven eggs per day after feeding and up to 250 in their 10-month lifespan. They can survive for weeks to months without feeding.
While the bugs don’t carry any diseases that could sicken humans and their bite is painless, it leaves behind an itchy red mark.
Professional help is needed to fully eradiate a bed bug infestation, with experts recommending a heat pod treatment that heats infested rooms and belongings to 50C (122F) for a couple of hours.
What are bed bugs?
Bed bugs can run up to 100 feet per hour, meaning they can easily travel from room to room to find a host to feed on.
Their almost paper-thin bodies mean that they are able to fit into the smallest cracks of furniture like the headboard of a bed, making them very difficult to spot.
Bed bugs travel by hiding in clothing or luggage so that when a human hops in the car or on a train the bugs hitch a ride too.
They primarily come out at night to feed and hide during the day.
Using their sharp senses they track the CO2 coming from our breath to find someone to feed on even in pitch darkness.
A female bed bug generally lays one egg a day but can lay up to seven under the right conditions.
Eggs look like grains of sand and take around 10-15 days to hatch into a new bed bug.
The best way to find bed bugs is by using a specially trained dog which can sniff out the bugs communication pheromones.
Bed bugs can run up to 100 feet per hour, meaning they can easily travel from room to room to find a host to feed on
Pest control firms have reported being inundated with calls about infestations in recent months.
London is thought to be the UK’s hotspot, according to Google search data for the 12 months up to January 2022.
Although bed bugs have long been found in Britain, the problem has been highlighted by the crisis in France.
A viral TikTok video posted earlier this month appeared to show a bed bug crawling on a passenger’s leg on the Victoria Line in London, while the bugs were also spotted on Manchester bus services last week.
Last week, Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said that the possibility of bed bugs on the London Underground was ‘a real source of concern’.
Mr Khan said that he was in contact with officials from Paris after the French capital became overwhelmed by a massive infestation.
However, experts have urged caution, warning many sightings are false. As there is no official toll of outbreaks, the scale of the problem is unclear.
A family today told how their two-year-old son was bitten hundreds of times by bed bugs during a minibreak at Butlin’s Minehead resort in Kent.
Laura and Adam Perona-Wright said that within two days of arriving, Vinnie had bites behind his ears and across his back, which they originally blamed on midges.
The pair complained to staff who investigated but said they did not find any insects.
After looking themselves, they found that staff had replaced a ‘disgusting’ mattress protector but there were living and dead bed bugs on the mattress itself.
Ms Perona-Wright, 38, a graphic designer from Plymouth, told MailOnline: ‘It became clear that the bed was absolutely riddled with bed bugs, lots of them.
‘My poor boy was pickled – he had suffered literally hundreds of bites. I counted 30 just behind one ear.’
She added: ‘Every area of his little body not covered by clothes was covered in bumps and scratches.
‘His head, neck, arms, behind his knees, his groin, his back – he was in pain from scratching and upset.’
The couple decided to move Vinnie to sleep with his sister Leni, 4, in her room for the rest of their stay.
It is the third time in three months that guest complaints about insect infestations at Minehead Butlin’s have emerged.
In July, Lisa Gray of North Petherton, Somerset, told how she and her ten-year-old daughter Hannah fled their apartment after finding a sofa ‘totally infested with fleas’.
Vinnie’s parents said he had bites all over his body, including behind his ears
Vinnie also suffered bites across his back, legs and arms, his mother told MailOnline
Ms Perona-Wright took photographs of the bugs, which she said bit her son hundreds of times
The following month Courtney-Jade Mildenhall, 21, of Oxford, revealed that she had sustained 150 bed bug bites after staying in a Comfort apartment.
Ms Perona-Wright said she was unaware of those instances and had stayed at Butlin’s twice before without a problem.
‘It’s a lot of fun for the kids,’ she said. ‘Our apartment looked clean and lovely. We paid for top-end accommodation because it was by a lake and we could feed the ducks from our balcony.
Ms Perona-Wright said she was unaware of those instances and had stayed at Butlin’s twice before without a problem.
‘It’s a lot of fun for the kids,’ she said. ‘Our apartment looked clean and lovely. We paid for top-end accommodation because it was by a lake and we could feed the ducks from our balcony.’
She added: ‘As parents know, unpacking from a break is hard work. Unpacking everything and washing everything at 70 degrees, which shrinks clothes, and then spraying down our bags knowing the little critters could easily move into our home has been an added stress.’
Butlin’s told MailOnline it was still investigating the case but had found no evidence of bed bugs in the apartment.
A spokesperson said: ‘We’re very sorry to hear about Laura and her family’s recent experience on resort and will be contacting them directly to discuss the issues raised.
‘We’ve been working with a pest control specialist to investigate and can confirm we’ve had no further reports of bed bugs from guests staying in the same unit of accommodation.
‘We want to reassure guests that we have strict cleaning and hygiene policies in place, including the identification and subsequent treatment for preventing bed bugs.’
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