A man looks visibly worried as he shows a reporter around his flat waiting anxiously to know whether the removal operation of bed bugs was successful.
Pointing at a mattress on the floor, he said: “You see, I am sleeping on the floor, and knowing that maybe there are some little insects… it’s difficult to live with that.”
While the young man shared his concerns, BBC Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield explained the house had been steamed cleaned in order to get rid of one of the many bed bug infestations affecting France’s capital.
In the video by the British broadcaster, a sniffer dog can be seen being used to detect any remaining bed bugs.
While experts managed to get rid of the insects in this flat, others are less fortunate as, Mr Schofield noted, Paris is seemingly experiencing an “epidemic of cases”.
Indeed, while bed bugs aren’t a new issue in the French capital, reports claimed there has been an increase in infestation, with insects said to have been spotted not just in homes and on public transport but also in cinemas.
Concerns have grown to the point that Emmanuel Gregoire, deputy mayor of Paris, urged Emmanuel Macron’s government to take action against this “scourge”.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, in late September, he wrote: “Bed bugs are a public health problem and should be reported as such.
“The state must urgently bring together all concerned in order to enact an action plan appropriate with this scourge as all of France prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024.”
Still, Mr Gregoire urged Parisians not to get caught in a “hysteria” over the insects, noting professional pest control companies working in residential areas have informed the city hall of a rapid increase in requests for intervention.
Jean-Michel Berenger, doctor at Marseille Hospital, explained the apparent rise in infestation, saying: “Remember, bed bugs feed on humans, so when there are more people, and more people travelling, that obviously helps bedbugs.”
Bed bugs are an apparent and much-debated issue in Paris, but an expert warns the UK is not in the clear.
David Cain, microbiologist and founder of Bed Bugs Ltd, told Sky News: “I think there’s probably a similar level of issue in London as there is in Paris at present.
“They’re already on buses, trains, tubes, cinemas, doctor’s surgeries, public spaces, hospitals.”
