Paris, France Is Dealing With Bed Bugs Infestation Crisis & Might Spread Abroad

October 13, 2023

Just 10 months before the opening of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, the French capital is battling an invasion of bedbugs.

The tiny pests were first reported in hotels and vacation rental apartments across the city during the summer. Then there were sightings in movie theaters and, in recent days, there have even been reports of bedbugs crawling around on seats in both national high-speed trains and the Paris Metro system.

One metro train driver was dismayed to find some of the unwelcome guests in his driver's cabin.

Some even jumped ship — to Morocco.

Port authorities in Tangiers found bedbugs on a passenger ferry that arrived from Marseille in southern France on Monday after the alert was raised during the Mediterranean crossing. It was the first time Moroccan officials had noted bedbugs from France on the move and, upon arrival in Tangiers, passengers had to wait while the ship and its cargo were cleaned and disinfected before they were permitted to disembark.

Moroccan media outlets reported that Tangiers port and health authorities had put in place additional monitoring protocols after the ferry arrived to detect and prevent the spread of bedbugs from any further vessels arriving from France.

Paris companies specializing in treating insect infestations say they've been overwhelmed in recent weeks. Parisians shell out an average of $500 to have their homes treated if they discover the tiny bugs.

Paris City Hall is particularly worried about the potential risk for visitors to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer.

"Bedbugs are a public health issue and should be declared as such," Deputy Mayor of Paris Emmanuel Grégoire wrote to Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne. He called on the government to put together an action plan to address the problem at a national level.

Transport Minister Clément Beaune has already announced a meeting this week with various public transport operators, with a view to "reassuring and protecting" travelers.

The infestation began just before Paris Fashion Week (yes, these bugs have good taste), when reports broke of increased sightings of the insects in homes, cinemas, trains and even hospitals. Now, questions are being asked about the safety of traveling to and from Paris; what we can do to prevent the spread, and whether the critters are already settling in our mattresses. Below, we answer all your questions about travel and the bed bug spread.

The city is no stranger to travelers—Paris is the world’s most-visited city with 44 million tourists in 2022. Nor is it a stranger to bed bugs: between 2017 and 2022, more than one in 10 French households reported bed bug infestations, according to ANSES, the French health and safety agency. But ANSES reports that the “upsurge in bed-bug infestations in recent years has been due in particular to the rise in travel and the increasing resistance of bed bugs to insecticides”. In other words, these particular bed bugs have mutated to become superbugs: they have evolved to create defenses and adaptations against certain chemicals typically used to destroy them.

The insects typically reside in mattresses and bed frames, lying in wait for humans to go to sleep before they crawl up and suck blood for their tea. But they can also travel via humans, hitching a ride on clothing, suitcases and hand luggage to travel the world and explore horizons new.

https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/paris-bedbugs-france-infestation-hotels-homes-even-trains/

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/bed-bugs-are-taking-paris-heres-what-you-need-to-know