Oh, the irony…

If your mission is to oversee health and safety efforts in your community, you probably don’t want to have to close your office due to an insect infestation. It doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.

Unfortunately, that was the position the Carteret County Health Department in Morehead City was in last week, when it was forced to shut down after bedbugs were found inside the building. The health department closed up early on May 11 and remained closed the following day to give an exterminator time to eradicate the creepy crawlies.

Bed bugs are small, reddish-brown insects that survive by feeding off the blood of people, particularly at night. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture reports that they are not known to transmit diseases. But the pesky parasites are often difficult to get rid of.

The health department reopened on May 15, according to WINT. So far, there have been no reports of bedbugs returning to the building. But it’s probably safe to assume that health department employees are still a little on edge.

Sidebar would like to offer its condolences to those employees. “Sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.”