France Faces An "Explosion Of Bedbugs Invasion" While The Country Is Gearing UP For 2024 Olympics (image @ pixabay)
France “surged” with bedbugs. Hotels, rental apartments, theatres, buses, high-speed trains and metros, Parisians are now “sick off” the blood sucking bedbugs. While Paris is gearing up for hosting the 2024 Olympics, the “bedbug invasion” is expected to bug the country”s reputation.
Citizens has shared the videos and images of bedbugs on the seats of theatres and metro trains and warned the passengers to be aware of where they sit and put their bags through social media.
According to France24, Clement Beaune, French Transport Minister, said about “convening representatives” from public transport operators to discuss about the “counter-measures” for the alleged invasion of bedbugs.
Emergency departments like that of university hospital in the Marne department in Reims, and in Boulogne-sur-Mer had to shut down temporarily due the need of undergoing chemical treatments after finding out about the bug infestation, as said by The Local France.
Emmanuel Gregoire, Paris” Deputy Mayor, called for the “urgent need to act” and said “It is not too late” and “financial support for the poorest” in fighting the alleged infestation “remains a priority”.
🚫 Les punaises de lit sont devenues un problème du quotidien. Il y a urgence à agir.
Il faut organiser des assises avec tous les acteurs concernés, il n’est pas encore trop tard. La prise en charge financières des foyers les plus modestes demeure une priorité. pic.twitter.com/8yg3T6ElOw
— Emmanuel Grégoire (@egregoire) October 1, 2023
Francoise Piquemal, from Defence and Armed Forces Commission said the “explosion of bedbug is linked to the over-tourism and a lack of investment by public authorities”.
⚠️Punaises Airnb
Contrairement aux délires xénophobes de #PascalPraud, l’explosion des punaises de lit est liée au sur-tourisme et au manque d'investissement de la puissance publique.#punaisesdelit pic.twitter.com/n75AtVcwtC— François Piquemal (@FraPiquemal) September 29, 2023
Mr. Gregoire also said that there would not be any threats for the Olympic Games and said the “bedbugs existed before and they will exist afterward”.
Johanna Fite, an expert from the Department of Risk Assessment in Anses, France”s National Health And Sanitary body said bedbug infestation is “an emerging phenomenon” in France and worldwide. He said the main cause is due to the movement of people and their “stay in short-term accommodation and bring back bedbugs in their suitcases or luggage”, as reported by CNN.
France witnessed a major depletion the presence of the tiny bugs that feed in human blood during the 1950s until recent years. But for the past few years the country has witnessed the slow “invasion” of the “blood sucker” and now it has become nearly impossible to get rid of the bedbugs as they grew immune to the existing pesticides. The blame for the increased presence of the bedbugs are given to the population growth and easy movements from one country to another.
