The French government will launch a counter-offensive to combat the spread of bedbugs, which have emerged in recent weeks on public transport, cinemas and hospitals.

Disgusting travelers They posted videos on social networks of these blood-sucking insects, seen in the Paris metro, high-speed trains and even at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport.

Minister of Transport, Clément Beaune, indicated this to the population on Friday on the social network.

Bed bugs, which almost completely disappeared from everyday life in the 1950s, have reappeared in recent decades. mainly due to the high population density and the increase in public transport.

It is believed that a tenth of French homes have suffered from bed bugs in recent years, often requiring a pest control operation costing several hundred euros and often having to be repeated.

On Thursday, Paris City Hall asked President Emmanuel Macron’s government for help in combating the plague, urging the creation of a special team.

For her part, the chairman of the parliamentary group of the Insoumise France party (LFI, radical left) demanded this weekend an emergency plan and recognition of bedbugs “as a public health problem”.

The The French National Health Service advised people to check their hotel beds when traveling and be careful about bringing second-hand furniture or used mattresses into the home.

What causes a bedbug bite?

The Bed bug bites cause irritation, blisters or large rashes and can cause severe itching or allergic reactions. They also often cause psychological problems, sleep problems, anxiety and depression.

There are three variants of it bed bugs that feed on people’s blood while they sleep, in particular Cimex lectularius, Cimex hemipterus and Leptocimex boueti. These insects are attracted to body heat, our aroma and the carbon dioxide we release when we breathe.

According to French authorities, the appearance of these insects, which can grow up to 7 millimeters in length, is not related to the level of hygiene. (JO)