France sees a jump in bedbugs
New York- People have spotted the critters in recent days on France's high-speed trains, in the Paris metro and in the city's Charles-de-Gaulle Airport — in some cases posting videos of the bugs on social media — France24 reported.
“The state urgently needs to put an action plan in place against this scourge as France is preparing to welcome the Olympic and Paralympic games in 2024,” Grégoire wrote, according to Reuters.
“No one is safe,” he said in a separate post on X Thursday as he called for “coordinated measures” between health authorities and local communities to prevent the spread of the bugs, which burrow in furniture, clothing and bedding, and feed on blood, usually at night. Females can lay up to seven eggs a day, meaning infestations can spread quickly.
“More than one in 10 French households were infested by bedbugs” between 2017 and 2022, according to a July study by ANSES, the government agency responsible for assessing health risks in food, the environment and workplaces.
Bites can result in rashes, allergic reactions and blisters, according to the French government, which advises people to wash clothes and bedding at high temperatures, vacuum furniture and carpets and to call in pest control services if the problem persists.
France's national health agency recommended that people check their hotel beds when travelling and be cautious about bringing second-hand furniture or pre-owned mattresses into their homes. Once bedbugs are sighted in a home, affected rooms must be treated quickly, it said.
Bedbug bites leave red areas, blisters or large rashes on the skin, and can cause intense itching or allergic reactions.
They also often cause psychological distress, sleeping issues, anxiety and depression. The appearance of the insects, which can grow up to around 7 millimeters long, is unrelated to hygiene levels, according to the French authorities.
