Currently it is believed that bed bugs do not pose a significant health risk to humans, however, there is a study from Penn Medicine researchers in the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics that has shown it is possible for bed bugs to transmit Trypanosoma cruzi. This is important because Trypanosoma cruzi is the parasite that causes Chagas disease, a deadly disease that is currently found in Latin America.
Even if a person does not contract Chagas from a bed bug, there are both psychological effects as well as monetary consequences from bed bugs. According to a study by Stéphane Perron, a doctor and researcher at the University of Montreal, when he looked at two groups of people, both of whom lived in unsafe apartments, those with bed bugs were significantly more likely to report anxiety and sleep disturbances than those without.
Bed bugs do not discriminate in regard to household income. They are found in both extremely wealthy areas as well as poor areas. No matter where you live, it can be difficult to exterminate bed bugs which leads to high costs for eradication. Seventy-six percent of the respondents to the 2013 Bugs Without Borders Survey stated that bed bugs were the most difficult pest to treat. If you believe you might have bed bugs in your home it is imperative to look into ways to remove them immediately. The longer you wait, the worse the infestation will become.