Last May I started being bitten by some strange insect I had never seen before. The bites are very painful and the redness and swelling lasts two to three days. Since then it has been a constant attack and every single day I’m bitten in one or two new places.

Last May I started being bitten by some strange insect I had never seen before. The bites are very painful and the redness and swelling lasts two to three days. Since then it has been a constant attack and every single day I’m bitten in one or two new places.

I’ve been bitten hundreds of times since last May, the only respite being the 10 days I was abroad. Doctors are completely at a loss and have no idea how to help except to suggest the traditional creams and tablets for insect bites, which are a small comfort, but of course they do not stop the new bites. I had my cats checked by the vet for fleas and they do not have any; somebody suggested bed bugs so I changed my old mattress and bought a new special €700 anti allergies mattress, then I had insecticide sprayed all over but still nothing works.

Meanwhile, I’ve learnt I am not alone; scores of people are recounting identical experiences and this week the insects seem to be at their worst. Is there no solution to this plague? Is it possible the authorities can do absolutely nothing?

Josephine Vella