Bedbug discovery leads to early dismissal

South Allegheny School District dismissed middle and high school students early on Tuesday after a bedbug was found at the school building.

The district said a pest control specialist would treat the entire building even though finding one bedbug does not necessarily mean there is an outbreak.

High school students were dismissed at 11:20 a.m., and middle school students were released at 12:45 p.m.

District officials said the building would be off-limits for after-school activities. Athletic practices have been moved to South Allegheny Elementary.

The school was expected to reopen as usual on Wednesday.

The South Allegheny School District is about 10 miles south of Pittsburgh and serves more than 1,500 students from Glassport, Liberty, Lincoln and Port Vue.

Bedbugs are reddishbrown and small, flat, parasitic insects roughly the size of Lincoln’s head on a penny that feed solely on the blood of people and animals while they sleep.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bedbugs are not a sign of cleanliness of living conditions and can be found anywhere.

Although bedbugs do not spread infectious disease, they affect each person differently, ranging from small bite marks and itching to a serious allergic reaction, the CDC said. The best way to treat bites is to avoid scratching the area and to apply antiseptic creams or lotions and take an antihistamine.