Massive outbreak of bed bugs in France prompts the city of Paris to request the establishment of a national task force to combat insects

It has been reported that the government will finally take measures to deal with the large number of bed bugs that are causing damage in public transportation, movie theaters, hospitals, etc. in France.

French government launches battle plan against bedbug invasion

Bedbug crisis sparks political row in Paris as insect 'scourge' continues | Paris | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/29/bedbug-crisis-political-row-paris-insect-scourge-continues

Bed bugs are a financial burden and reduce quality of life for many people in France | Anses - Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail
https://www.anses.fr/en/content/bed-bugs-quality-life-people-france

Bed bugs almost disappeared in France by around 1950, but the problem has been on the rise again since the late 2000s. According to France's Food, Environment, and Occupational Health and Safety Agency, bed bugs will be found in 11% of French homes from 2017 to 2022.

Especially recently, images of bedbugs wandering around the seats of trains and movie theaters have been posted on social media.

Below is an example.

⚡️On high-speed trains in France, more and more passengers are complaining about bedbugs.

The main complaints come from the Paris-Lille and Paris-Nice directions ???? pic.twitter.com/JA9q1Caee0

— Tay Keith ???????? (@Germaarig) September 24, 2023

Paris is struggling with a major bedbug infestation ahead of hosting the 2024 Olympic Games, with residents sharing photos of bedbugs from trains and movie theaters pic.twitter.com/Gu1C8SNdkF

— NOVO Gazette (@novogazette) September 29, 2023

In response to this situation, the city of Paris, which will host the Olympic Games in 2024, wrote to Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne requesting the establishment of a national task force to deal with bed bugs.

Mathilde Panault, head of the left-wing party La France insoumise, was laughed at when she proposed an emergency national plan to combat bed bugs in 2019, but the government has since declared bed bug infestations a public health problem. He said he would like to be recognized.

The French government has announced that Clément Beaune, Minister of State for Transport, has convened a meeting of public transport officials and called on them to take measures against bed bugs on seats, and has announced that it will launch a coordinated effort to combat bed bugs. .