Bedbugs confirmed at Moncton's Dumont hospital ER

Bedbugs have been confirmed atthe Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre inMoncton,causing a slowdown in the emergency department.

The bedbugs were on a patient who went to the ER on Wednesday, hospital officials said in a statement issued on Friday.

Sniffer dogs were called in to identify the affected areas, which included examination rooms and an area in the ER waiting room, said Richard Losier, chief operating officer for theBeausjourZone.

Those areas wereisolated,the waiting room has already been treated, and theexamination rooms are currently being treated, saidLosier.

"There may be a slowdown at the emergency department until such time as the treatment of examination rooms is completed," he said.

A 24-hour delay is recommended before treated areas can be used again, said Losier. "The situation should return to normal by Saturday, November9, in the early evening," he said.

Although bedbugs are insect pests, they do not constitute a health risk to people, the statement stressed."The management of the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre apologizes for any inconvenience."

No other areas in the facility were affected, officials said.