France battles to stop spread of bedbugs
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The reading
France is coming under attack from a tiny menace – the bedbug. Many videos have been posted on social media with footage of the bugs crawling around in trains on the Paris metro. Sightings have also been reported in cinemas, museums, and even at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport. Emmanuel Gregoire, the deputy mayor of Paris, admitted there was a proliferation of the minute creatures. He reassured people by saying his government was taking action to deal with the "widespread" rise in bedbugs. He also said: "You have to understand that in reality, no one is safe. Obviously, there are risk factors, but, you can catch bedbugs anywhere in the world and bring them home."
France's bedbug problem is not new. Three years ago, the government launched an anti-bedbug campaign to reduce the incidences of infestations in cities. However, despite introducing several measures, the numbers of the blood-sucking insects have surged. A new initiative is being introduced to cut bug populations, ahead of the Paris Olympics in 2024. This includes hiring fumigation companies to help exterminate the bugs. Mr Gregoire said: "There is no threat to the Olympic Games." He said: "Bedbugs existed before and they will exist afterwards." A sanitation expert agreed. She said the problem was, "an emerging phenomenon…almost everywhere in the world".
Sources:
- https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/30/europe/france-bedbugs-paris-intl-hnk/index.html
- https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/29/bedbug-crisis-political-row-paris-insect-scourge-continues
- https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/france-races-stamp-out-bedbug-scourge-before-olympics-2023-09-29/
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