80-year-old man lives with bedbugs on his body for over 20 years

SINGAPORE - An 80-year-old man has been living with bedbugs in his body for over 20 years and never felt the itch, reported Lianhe Wanbao.

To help rid the man and his home of the parasite, more than 10 volunteers spent eight hours cleaning his place.

The elderly man is living alone in one of the rental units located at Redhill and his apartment is covered with the bugs from floor to ceiling, and even infested in his bed.

Volunteer Ms Pan, 44, told the Chinese daily that she arranged for over 10 volunteers to paint, use chemicals and tools such as adhesive tape and a sand chisel to help debug the senior's place of over 10,000 bugs.

The volunteers also helped to scrape off the old paint and layered a fresh coat to prevent the bugs from growing.

Other than these bugs, another volunteer, surname Chen, said there were maggots on his dining table.

She wanted to use hot water to rid them, but found out that the senior did not have a kettle. So, she had to borrow one from a neighbour.

When the volunteers first visited the house, they thought it looked "haunted" and when they swept the ceiling, a shower of bedbugs came down on them.

Ms Pan, a businesswoman, said bedbugs at home is not an uncommon issue, but added that this is the first time she has encountered such a serious case.

When Wanbao visited the man's apartment, the place looked like a more comfortable living space with its much cleaner surroundings.

According to senior specialist family doctor Dr Cho, bedbugs do not cause illnesses but those with sensitive skin will feel the itch.

If the wound is scratched and the situation looks serious, the person needs to be hospitalised for observation and might even need a jab.

To prevent bedbugs, family doctor Dr Liu said there are two methods families can follow.

First, pillows and mattresses need to be sunned regularly, and secondly, every corner of the house needs to be sprayed with insecticide.

Visit STOMP for more stories.