Posting this to raise awareness for incoming students who will be living in Oaks College and to ask for advice on what else I can do.
For some context, I'm a UCSC student working on campus over the summer. On Friday, July 17, I was working in the Oaks Apartments when I was eaten alive by fleas. It started with a tickling around my waist/belt line, when I looked down I realized my legs and belt area were covered in fleas. I ended up removing more than 30 fleas from my body and then immediately leaving the building.
Since then, I've counted well over 100 flea bites. From my ankles and legs, but mostly on my torso, back, and shoulders. I was only inside the building for less than two hours before I noticed what was happening.
My biggest concern is for students who will be moving into Oaks in August. I plan to contact UCSC Physical Plant and Oaks College to report the issue and make sure they're aware of the severity of it. But does anyone have suggestions on what else I should do? Has anyone else experienced flea problems in Oaks Apartments or elsewhere on campus? Ive experienced a lot of distress from this situation, even laying in my own bed gets uncomfortable. Ive been taking benadryl and using 1% hydrocortisone cream to help with the itch but the skin reaction I am experiencing is gnarly.
I could link images of my bites as I dont want this post to get deleted, this is also a alt acc to protect my privacy.