(Illustration: Robert Meganck)

Gerard Brown is worried about bedbugs.

As Program Manager for the Rodent and Vector Control Division of the D.C. Department of Health, Brown has watched as the rate of reports about possible bedbug infestations has nearly doubled this year. In all of 2009, the District of Columbia government fielded 182 reports of bedbugs. So far in 2010, there have already been 257 such calls, and that pace could very well continue into the near future.

"Yes, I'm concerned," says Brown. "The increase in calls and where the calls are coming from ... are worrisome."

Much like Arlington and Montgomery counties, D.C. doesn't have the resources to act as a pest control agency. When residents call 311, the citywide call center, with a possible bedbug problem they're directed to Brown's office.

At that point, Brown's staff will attempt to determine whether an infestation might threaten adjacent dwellings or businesses, and if it's a rental property, whether the landlord has responded to complaints. If a bedbug report originates from a multi-unit building, DOH will often send a staff member down to conduct a training session for residents. If it's a single-family home, they might just offer information and advice. If it's a business open to the public, the department will likely send an inspector.

Under current law, there's little else the D.C. government can do about preventing bedbugs from spreading. "There are no rules requiring people to report bedbugs. The law is kind of broad," Brown explains.

DOH only very recently began to log bedbug infestations by specific location, so the overall picture available to public health officials remains somewhat vague. While D.C.'s bedbug problem hasn't reached New York levels, Brown's office is busy figuring out how and whether they can get ahead of the curve. "Our position is aggressive outreach," he says.

That position led to a city-sponsored summit on bedbugs in March of 2009, and a second is now on the calendar for January, 2011.

"This is something that's been on our radar as an agency for a long time," says DOH spokesperson Dena Iverson. But, as Brown notes, "it's a work in progress." D.C.'s health officials say they're committed to sharing information about bedbug issues, but they aren't in the business of sending out alerts to residents when infestations are confirmed. At least, not yet. "That's really ahead of where we are now," Brown says, though given adequate resources, a system like that "probably would be considered."  The department is currently working on securing a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for bedbug outreach and education, he says.

In the meantime, Brown continues to worry as the type and frequency of bedbug calls he's fielding increases. Some of his most common reports come from low-income seniors, who both are more likely to bring home bedbug-ridden used furniture and often unable physically to deal with the pernicious, blood-sucking pests on their own.

A recent call stands out in his mind.

"We got a call from a lady last week who was in a mattress store, and she took it home, and it has bedbugs," Brown says. A second call has since come in about the same store, located in the city's Southeast quadrant, and DOH is now planning a physical inspection.