- Videos and photographs showing colonies of bed bugs in certain public areas of Paris have surged on social media, suggesting that an infestation has broken out.
- Canine sniffers have been deployed to detect bed bugs on trains in France.
- However, a French transport minister said not a single bedbug has been found.
Sniffer dogs will help inspect French trains and the Paris metro for bed bugs after dozens of reports of infestations, the transport minister said on Wednesday, adding that not a single bed bug had been found so far.
Clement Beaune said that in recent weeks there had been around ten reports from travelers about bed bugs on Paris public transport operator RATP and 37 on rail operator SNCF.
“When there is a problem, we solve it, we don’t deny it. There is no outbreak of bed bugs in public transport,” said Beaune after meeting with transport operators and travel associations.
As the Paris Olympics approach, French authorities launch efforts to eradicate bed bugs
Salim Dahou, a biocide technician, emerges from a bathroom after preparing an insecticide against bed bugs near Paris, France, on September 29, 2023. (REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo)
French social and traditional media have widely reported on bedbugs on trains and in cinemas and the government is concerned about the impact on tourism and the Paris Olympics, which begin in less than a year.
Beaune stated that all French public transport operators will reinforce health procedures in general and the fight against bed bugs in particular, in particular with canine tracking teams, which he believes are the most effective means of detection.
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He added that data on all bed bug reports and any confirmed infestations will be published every three months.
“Total transparency will bring complete trust,” he said, adding that “there is no need for psychosis or fear.”
Beaune also plans to meet with pest control companies and aims to host a conference on solutions to any potential problems later this month.
