French govt gets sleepless nights as bedbug crisis worsens ahead of Olympic Games
Paris: The bedbug menace is giving the French government sleepless nights, forcing it to take active measures to stop the spread of the blood-sucking insects, especially as the Olympic Games are just a little over nine months away, media reported.
Bedbugs are difficult to detect unless they bite to suck their victim’s blood. These insects move stealthily, they slink, and they can accompany you wherever you go, hiding in your clothes or backpack. Bedbugs may be sometimes found in public places like movies and the subway.
Apparently, the bedbug infestation in France has reached alarming levels.
According to an Associated Press report, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has convened a ministerial meeting on Friday to address the bedbug issue.
The transportation minister of the country, Clement Beaune, held discussions this week with transportation companies to formulate a strategy for surveillance and sanitation.
Some quarters have said the government is trying to ease the situation—a national psychosis inflamed by the media.
Addressing the reporters, Beaune said, "There is no resurgence of cases."
She pointed out that the 37 cases reported in the bus and Metro system and a dozen others on trains proved unfounded.
Viral videos on social media of tiny creatures supposedly burrowing in the seat of a fast train also did not have the truth.
Despite efforts, bedbugs have been a persistent issue in France and various other countries for many years.
These small, non-jumping, non-flying insects, roughly the size of an apple seed, are as mobile as humans, easily moving from one city or country to another.
They are a tough adversary to humans as they have developed growing resistance to insecticides. And here's an extra discomforting fact: Bedbugs can survive for up to a year without a blood meal.
Between 2017 and 2022, over 10% of households in France experienced a bedbug infestation, as reported by the National Agency for Health and Food Safety. The agency conducted a survey with Ipsos to address a topic that many tend to avoid discussing, fearing that openly admitting to a bedbug issue may lead to social stigma.
However, experts underscore that staying silent about the problem only worsens the problem.
Bedbugs can be found in the clothing, bedding, or mattresses of people across all social classes.
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