Is that a regional thing? I was under the impression they just popped up every now and then, though I've never heard of any except in stories on Reddit. Don't think I heard anyone mention that it only occurs in a certain climate, and we do have airplanes so it's bound to spread to any place it can.

That said, I would totally buy a second hand mattress. People buy used clothes all the time, isn't that similar? Could contain anything (including bed bugs, the top ddg hits seem to suggest).

Bedbugs are easy to kill. Just steam ‘em long enough. Or some other fumigation method. Or an autoclave. Or ethylene oxide if you want to sterilize it. Or freezer temperatures for enough days.

That’s an easily industrializable problem for mattresses. They’re standard size.

Seal them up in plastic when you’re done.

Getting them out of furniture or behind floorboards is harder.