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© Getty ImagesThe UN press office said a bedbug-sniffing dog had confirmed the presence of bedbugs in furniture in the basement of the Dag Hammarskjold Library
New York City's bedbug epidemic has spread to yet another landmark - the United Nations, officials at the world organization said on Wednesday.

The pests appeared at places like the Empire State Building and Bloomingdale's before reaching the city's centre of international diplomacy on the East Side of Manhattan.

The UN press office said a bedbug-sniffing dog had confirmed the presence of bedbugs in furniture in the basement of the Dag Hammarskjold Library, where the offices of the team overseeing the UN headquarter's $1.9 billion (£1.2 billion) renovation project are housed.

"This furniture has been moved to a part of the building not occupied by staff to facilitate fumigation," it said.

The library is a three-story annex to the main building.

"Bedbug infestations have been found in many public and commercial buildings throughout New York City indicating a worsening problem," the UN statement said.

In August, the pest extermination company Terminex said that New York is the most bedbug-infested urban centre in the United States. Other cities in the top five were Philadelphia, Detroit, Cincinnati and Chicago.