Tourist ends up in ER due to bedbugs. Sanitary and Epidemiological Service closes resort in Bieszczady

Bedbug bites leave red dots on the body that itch or cause pain. Swelling may appear around them. This was the case with tourists who were vacationing in one of the resorts in the Bieszczady Mountains, although at first they thought they were bites from other insects.

Bed bugs in a hotel in the Bieszczady Mountains

The case was first covered by Gazeta Wyborcza.

A group of friends from Kujawy, including Mr. Ariel and his partner, rented a cottage in a resort recommended by friends. On the weekend of August 16-17, they found the first bites, but they thought they were insect bites. On Monday and Tuesday, the problem began to worsen for one of the people. After checking the mattress, it turned out that it had bedbugs.

The tourists reported the problem to the owner. They had two days left to their stay. They received a new mattress on Wednesday, and the disinfection team was supposed to arrive on Thursday. It turned out that they did not arrive until Friday. In addition, the work extended until around 9:00 p.m.

The tourist demands compensation

After returning to the cottage, it turned out that the smell of a strong disinfectant was still noticeable, and there were still insects on the floor, dead and alive. In addition, the guests could not ask for a replacement of the bed frame, which was the nest. When the tourist asked for compensation, he was supposedly told that he was “taking the piss” and could be charged for disinfection. “He said that we were making a fuss about some bugs,” he added in a Facebook post, where he publicized the matter.

Mr. Ariel’s partner had her arms, legs, back, and face badly bitten by insects. She had to go to the ER and get a steroid injection.

The owner of the resort defended himself in an interview with “Wyborcza”. “There were eight people in the apartment, and only one was bitten. I don’t know why it happened. The problem was reported to us only on the seventh day of our stay. Maybe this person brought it, and when they started biting her, she reported it to us? Maybe it was about not paying for the stay? Maybe this person wants to extort compensation?” he wondered.

On August 29, Wiktor Fidor, the district sanitary inspector in Ustrzyki Dolne, issued a decision to close the resort. The tourist will demand compensation from the owner in the amount of PLN 5,000 and coverage of the costs of the stay in the Bieszczady Mountains. As he said, in this situation he lacked an apology.