French cities, particularly Paris, have been hit by a plague of bedbugs.
The infestation has left many questioning how it will impact the 2024 Olympic Games.
Entomologist at Marseille’s main hospital, Jean-Michel Berenger, said, ‘Every late summer, we see a big increase in bedbugs.
‘That is because people have been moving about over July and August, and they bring them back in their luggage.
‘And each year, the seasonal increase is bigger than the last one.’
There have been reports of people seeing and being bitten by bedbugs on trains and in cinemas. Although neither has been proven, the claims have been taken seriously.
Paris City Hall and President Emmanual Macron’s government are both calling for action. They want to prove how seriously they perceive the issue ‘and of how they need to protect the image of Paris ahead of the 2024 games,’ reports the BBC.
Berenger says, ‘There is a new element this year – and that is the general psychosis which has taken hold. It is a good thing in a way because it serves to make people aware of the problem, and the sooner you act against bedbugs the better. But a lot of the problem is being exaggerated.’
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