Paris is battling a major invasion of bedbugs, according to multiple reports. During the summer, the tiny pest were first reported being seen in hotels and vacation rental apartments across the city, but now they are also being seen in movie theaters and on trains.
Videos have been surfacing on social media of several residents sharing footage of the insects taking over train stations. One person told their followers that passengers were “panicking” when they realized there were bedbugs in the train carriage, and they couldn’t get off until the next station. The 2024 summer Olympics will be taking place soon and authorities are worried about travelers who will be coming to city due to this recent increase of bedbugs.
Speaking to French TV station LCI on Friday, deputy mayor of Paris Emmanuel Gregoire called the phenomenon widespread. “You have to understand that in reality no one is safe, obviously there are risk factors but in reality, you can catch bedbugs anywhere and bring them home,” he said. According to CNN, Three years ago, the French government launched an anti-bedbug campaign, which includes a dedicated website and an information hotline, as numbers of the insect surged. But Gregoire said that despite that plan, “there are 3.6 million people who come into Paris every day, and bedbugs do not stop on the outskirts of the city.”
Bedbugs are small, parasitic insects that feed on the blood of humans and animals. They are called “bedbugs” because they are often found in and around beds and other sleeping areas, but they can also infest other parts of a home or building. Bedbug infestations can be a nuisance and can cause discomfort and itching due to their bites.
An expert from France’s national health and sanitary body, Anses, said the problem was “an emerging phenomenon in France and almost everywhere in the world.”
“It’s mainly due to the movement of people, populations traveling, the fact that people stay in short-term accommodation and bring back bedbugs in their suitcases or luggage,” Johanna Fite from the Anses department of risk assessment told CNN.
She added there was an “escalation” in numbers because bedbugs were increasingly resistant to insecticides.
“We are observing more and more bedbug populations which are resistant, so there is no miracle treatment to get rid of them,” Fite said.