Olympic Games are just around the corner
France is struggling with a supposed bed bug plague – government gets involved
Bed bugs can grow up to 5.5 millimeters in size. The insects are currently causing a stir in France.
© Sina Schuldt / DPA
A Parisian woman leaves a cinema with her back full of bed bug bites. Reports of this caused a stir in France. As soon as something crawls somewhere, people pull out their cell phones, take photos and ask themselves: Is that a bed bug?
They are small and bite and are difficult to get rid of: bed bugs are suddenly a big topic of conversation in France and are also a concern for the government. It all started during the summer holidays when there was a stir about bedbugs in a Paris cinema. After a visitor The newspaper “Le Parisien” described how she came out of the hall with her back full of bites, saw herself the cinema chain UGC apologized caused. The bugs appear everywhere people are and they are being fought. Hot steam is used and a dog that specializes in insects then inspects the rooms, it said.
Reports on the unpleasant topic, including photos of bed bugs under the magnifying glass, have now apparently turned some of the population into veritable bed bug detectives.
Bed bugs also on the TGV?
Alleged bugs are reported on social media, including shaky video images. “10 or 15 minutes before arriving in Lille-Flandres, I noticed a small beetle running around on the seat,” said passenger Irina the broadcaster BFMTV your journey on the TGV high-speed train. “I wondered if it was a bed bug. I filmed it and sent it to two friends who confirmed it.” A young passenger also posted a suspected bug from a train from Marseille to Paris.
The bug videos, which have been viewed millions of times, have brought the state railway SNCF onto the scene. There has been no confirmed presence of bed bugs on TGV trains in recent months, it said. “This is a risk where we are particularly vigilant, we take every report seriously and no risks are taken,” said the SNCF. The trains would be consistently disinfected with an eye on insects.
Last Wednesday there was a bug report from the heart chamber of capital life, the Paris metro. A driver on line 8 was sure that he had discovered one of the parasites in the driver’s cab. The RATP transport company reported that the train had been taken out of service, but no bugs had actually been found on the train or other means of transport. But the city administration, the union and politicians had long since become involved.
France’s transport minister gets involved
“The state must urgently bring together all concerned actors to develop an action plan that can deal with this scourge as the whole of France prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024,” wrote the first deputy of the Paris mayor, Emmanuel Grégoire Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne. In view of the bugs, there is no need to fall into psychosis, but you do have to face the problem, said the local politician in a TV interview.
Regarding public transport, Transport Minister Clément Beaune addressed the bug issue on Friday. He will discuss the measures taken to serve travelers with the transport companies next week. Beaune shared. It’s about reassuring and protecting people.
Bed bugs, which virtually disappeared decades ago, are also an issue again in Germany, partly due to more mobility and a lot of travel. The bugs suck blood and live in inhabited, enclosed spaces. They hide in beds, furniture joints or cracks. For example, they are transported to other places in luggage, but also through worn clothing. Their bite can cause severe itching. Experts recommend checking for bedbugs in hotel beds in advance and shaking out luggage and clothing in the shower when you return home.