In recent weeks, France and now also teh US has been grappling with an unexpected and troubling issue – the resurgence of bedbugs, a topic that has dominated news headlines, social media platforms, and even government discussions.
These small reddish-brown insects have become a cause for concern, prompting widespread alarm and disgust among both the general public and authorities. The situation has escalated to the extent that the Paris City Council has urged the national government to devise a comprehensive plan to combat these pests, especially considering the proximity of the Olympic Games scheduled to take place in the capital in ten months.
The bedbug problem first came to public attention through a series of complaints on social media, eventually compelling the authorities to respond. The Ministry of Transport has called for a meeting with Parisian train and metro operators, where bedbugs have been detected, emphasizing the urgency of addressing the issue. Although there is no updated data on the scale of the infestation, disturbing images and videos circulating on social media have depicted these blood-feeding insects in various public spaces, from movie theater seats to the waiting room at Charles de Gaulle airport.
According to the national health agency (Anses), a report published in July revealed that one in ten homes in France was infested by bedbugs between 2017 and 2022. To address public inquiries, a toll-free number has been in operation since 2020, providing assistance and information related to bedbug infestations.
Disinfection companies have noted a significant increase in demand for their services to clean private homes, although they emphasize that the issue is not entirely new. Bedbugs, known as “les punaises” in French, had largely disappeared from everyday life in the 1950s, but their resurgence in recent decades remains a mystery.
The French Ministry of Health, in response to the escalating problem, recently updated its guidelines on handling bedbug infestations. The ministry attributes the resurgence of bedbugs to factors such as increased international travel and the insects’ growing resistance to insecticides, contributing to their persistence in modern society.
This same issue is now escalating in both the US and Briton – worth being aware of when travelling????
