ABU DHABI // Bedbugs are on the march, sparking sharp increases both in business for pest control firms and in hospital visits by people who have been bitten.
While they thrive in labour camps and high occupancy dwellings, the bugs, which feed on human blood, are moving increasingly into single-family homes, and are thought to be growing more resistant to pesticides.
Pest control companies have reported an increase in call-outs, with more and more coming from apartments and villas. Hospitals have noticed a significant rise in the number of patients with severe allergic reactions to bedbug bites.
BC Pereira, the operations manager at Invaders, a Dubai pest control company, said: "In the summer the problem gets much worse and we get between 10 and 15 per cent more requests than in the rest of the year. It's really bad in the labour camps, but it is spreading."
Dr Wesam Kadhum, a dermatologist at the Gulf Medical College Hospital in Ajman, said he saw at least four or five patients every day complaining of bites.
"Some don't realise what they are," he said. "Others are embarrassed and don't want to say. It is not always easy for people to know that their bites are from bedbugs. This is why people do not always know they have a problem until there are a lot of bites and a lot of bugs."
The bugs, about 5mm long, can hide in mattresses and bed frames, under bed bases, in skirting boards, wall sockets and even paintings. They can also be found in furniture and wardrobes.
They tend to venture out at night looking for blood. Although they can live for up to 18 months without food, they usually feed every five to 10 days.
Itchy bites are a reaction to the anaesthetic that the bugs inject as they suck blood.
Once an infestation has taken hold, it is difficult to eradicate and many households need repeat treatments to exterminate the bugs.
Santosh Balachandran, operations manager at Pest Management Consultants Middle East, based in Dubai, said a bedbug invasion could start with just one or two eggs. "The problem is they are very difficult to get rid of, and they are everywhere at the moment," he said
"They are probably in all public spaces like cinemas and taxis. It doesn't mean you are unhygienic. But once they are in, it is very hard to get rid of them."
Mr Balachandran said he inspected his own house thoroughly once a month and was always careful when returning from public places.
"As for health issues, there is only a problem if people are allergic and they get some kind of reaction. Humidity is also a factor."
In crowded accommodation, such as labour camps, bedbugs were almost inevitable because of the living conditions, he added.
Dr Kadhum said: "They are not linked to being clean or dirty; they are just very easily brought into the home." It was a common misconception that the bugs could spread disease, he said. "This is not actually true. This used to happen with other types of bugs, but it is not really a possibility any more."
Khaled Obaid, an engineer for Alphamed, a company contracted by the Abu Dhabi Municipality, said bedbug infestations were spreading. "It really is a problem, and, while we are not suffering in all places, the worst problems are in the labour camps," he said.
"Because of their living habits, they live in crowded accommodation, there is a lack of hygiene and it can become quite humid. The windows and doors are closed and, with some air-conditioning units not working, it is so humid."
The bugs were attracted by carbon dioxide and heat, said Mr Obaid.
"They move around easily and can spread in cars and handbags. There have even been cases in hotels because many people use the rooms."
The bugs were hard to control, said Mr Obaid, but there were many ways to prevent them entering your home and to get rid of them.
People who found bedbugs in their homes should leave their mattresses and blankets in direct sunlight. Mr Obaid also advised them to plug any holes in the walls of their apartments so bugs could not crawl in and to keep areas clean. "Just by doing that would solve more than 80 per cent of this problem," he said. "When it comes to what I can do if there is a problem, I can use chemical treatments."
The number of infestations across the world has risen dramatically in the past decade. Experts put this down to increased foreign travel and, possibly, to the bugs becoming resistant to certain pesticides.
The UK recently reported an increase in bedbug cases, particularly in London, where infestations have spread into more middle-class areas such as Hampstead.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
SOUTH%20KOREA%20SQUAD
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
The team
Photographer: Mateusz Stefanowski at Art Factory
Videographer: Jear Valasquez
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory
Model: Randa at Art Factory Videographer’s assistant: Zanong Magat
Photographer’s assistant: Sophia Shlykova
With thanks to Jubail Mangrove Park, Jubail Island, Abu Dhabi
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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2252 – Dh 50
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6027 – Dh 100
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