French Government Launches Action Plan As Bed Bug Infestation Grips Paris Ahead Of Olympics
2 Oct 2023
The French government has launched an action plan as the nation tackles a mass bedbug infestation.
The infestation has been spotted in the Paris metro, high-speed trains, movie theatres and at Paris’s Charles-de-Gaulle Airport, with disgusted travellers posting videos on social media.
Emmanuel Gregoire, first deputy mayor of Paris, wrote a letter on behalf of City Hall addressed to the prime minister, Élisabeth Borne, pleading for a dedicated national taskforce to deal with the “scourge” of insects.
“Bed bugs are a public health problem and should be reported as such,” he wrote.
“The state must urgently bring together all concerned in order to enact an action plan appropriate with this scourge as all of France prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024.”
Transport Minister, Clement Beaune, echoed the sentiment taking to social media to say it was time “to protect and to reassure.”
“I will bring together transport operators next week to provide information on the actions undertaken and act in the interests of passengers.”
The bed bug invasion has been years in the making with the French national health and sanitary body, Anses, reporting that between 2017 and 2022, 11% of French homes had been infested.