It is a scourge that worries many in the capital. This Thursday, September 28, the Paris town hall asked the government for a plan against bedbugs, having noted a “significant resurgence” of this parasitic species.
“Bed bugs are a public health problem and must be declared as such. The State must urgently bring together all the stakeholders concerned in order to deploy an action plan commensurate with this scourge while France is preparing to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024″, writes Emmanuel Grégoire (PS), the first deputy of Mayor Anne Hidalgo, in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne.
It calls in particular for the organization of “pest control meetings”, for the Regional Health Agency (ARS) to “implement a compulsory declaration mechanism and support individuals with financial support” or for “the psychological risk after such an infestation is taken care of”.
A presence detected in transport
In recent weeks, users of several public places in the Paris region, such as the waiting area at Roissy airport, have denounced the presence of these insects. Minister for Transport Clément Beaune announced Friday that he would bring together transport operators next week to coordinate a counter-offensive against bedbugs, reported in recent weeks on trains and in the Paris metro.
“I will bring together transport operators next week, to inform on the actions undertaken and act more in the service of travelers. To reassure and protect,” wrote Clément Beaune on X (ex-Twitter).
230 million euros to French households between 2017 and 2022
Bedbugs, which have reappeared since the 1990s, have infested more than one in ten households in France in recent years, regardless of income level. These small insects the size of an apple seed, which feed at night, mainly on human blood, most often hide in mattresses and box springs and are transported in clothing and luggage.
They cost French households 230 million euros per year between 2017 and 2022, according to a recent report from the National Health Security Agency (ANSES).