The French government said this Wednesday that for now “there are no confirmed cases” of the presence of bed bugs in the carriages of the Paris metro or French trains, despite the numerous testimonies and photos circulating on social networks and in the press that claim the opposite.
«There is no phenomenon of worsening in the domain of public transport. There is no danger,” assured the French Minister of Transport, Clément Beaume. «This matter must be taken seriously, treated seriously. Neither denial nor psychosis,” the minister wrote on the social network X (formerly called Twitter) after meeting with those responsible for the sector.
“Each reported case receives a response, a verification,” explained the minister in response to the growing concern of the French over this real or imaginary phenomenon. Of the dozen cases reported in the Paris metro in recent weeks, “zero cases” of the presence of bed bugs have been confirmed. The same has happened with the 37 cases reported on SNCF trains, the public railway company. “All have been verified, zero confirmed,” Beaume said.
The minister asked French transport companies to publish data on reported cases and confirmed cases of bed bugs in public transport every three months to reassure users.
«I believe that the best response to fake news or useless controversies is transparency. Transparency is key. Total trust will come from total transparency,” Beaume said in statements to the press.
Beaume also promised transparency in the protocols so that “everything that is done to prevent this risk” is known and to address any concerns that citizens may have in this regard.
The minister has asked transport companies to “intervene more quickly” if bedbugs are detected and to reinforce the cleaning of trains, buses, subways and planes.
Ten months before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games begin, the government does not want to give the image that it is doing nothing to prevent bedbug outbreaks. The Executive has called an inter-ministerial meeting this Friday to address the issue of bed bugs, since “it affects health, the economy, transport and tourism,” announced government spokesperson, Olivier Véran.
The objective of this meeting is, according to Véran, “to find a quick response, but above all an effective response that makes it possible to deal with all aspects of the problem and respond to the anguish of the French who wonder if there is a real resurgence”, how to prevent bed bugs and what to do if you find them in your homes.
Although these insects, the size of an apple seed, do not transmit diseases, they feed on human blood and can cause swelling and itching. They usually hide in the seams of mattresses and box springs and in cracks in the headboard and bed frame, among other places.
Between 2017 and 2022, one in ten French homes was infested by bed bugs, according to a report by the National Health Security Agency for Food, Environment and Work (Anses), published last July.
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