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NEW YORK -- An elderly woman was carried out of her bedbug-infested Queens home by paramedics in isolation suits after she was found immobilized Monday morning, fire officials said.
The superintendent of the building, Shawn Reeder, identified the woman as Ann Kenny, and said she had fallen last Tuesday night in her home, which was crawling with the tiny bugs. It was unclear how she had been injured, officials said.
"She had been laying on the floor," Mr. Reeder said.
EMS paramedics who responded were required to wear full-body suits to prevent contamination when they removed her from her room in the Baxter Hotel, a single-room occupancy hotel at 160 Beach 116th St.
Ms. Kenny was taken to Peninsula Hospital, where she was being treated yesterday evening, according to Mr. Reeder.
The city has seen an infestation of bedbugs in the past year, according to published reports, with complaints rising from hundreds several years ago to more than 6,000 last year. Buildings affected recently have included luxury high-rises in Manhattan, low-income housing in the other boroughs, and the Midtown offices of Fox News.
Mr. Reeder said he had not heard complaints of other infestations in the building. The owner of the building did not immediately return a call requesting comment.
