2023-10-12 16:18:00
The invasion of bed bugs in Paris has sparked psychosis even beyond the Alps due to these tiny insects, with the scientific name Cimex lectularius and the appearance of small brown or black cockroaches. “Will they also arrive in Italy?”, is the question that many are asking on social media, after having read and, above all, seen the images of the French infestation. A wave of panic and disgust is now crossing the country, in Paris tourists and citizens are afraid even to sit down. The presence of bed bugs is no longer just a problem in hotels and possibly private homes: they have been found on the seats of buses and subways, high-speed trains and at Charles de Gaulle airport, as shown by photos and videos posted by travellers, that are doing the rounds on the web. During the summer, when the infestation began, not even cinemas were spared.
Serious damage to the image of France, which is trying to take action with massive disinfestations to eradicate the phenomenon by the 2024 Olympic Games. The deputy mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, had to admit on French public television that “no one is safe. You can get bed bugs anywhere and bring them home, and not spot them until they’ve multiplied and spread.” According to the French national health body Anses, between 2017 and 2022, 11% of French homes were infested with these insects. Paris authorities have received an increase in requests for help and private companies have registered an unusually high level of fumigation requests in recent weeks.
The alarm
The alarm is so high that, at the end of September, the newspaper ‘Le Parisien’ put bed bugs on its front page, defining the problem as a form of “domestic terror”. A terror not only French. The ‘news’ is circulating on X that the insects have arrived in Milan via train and the concern of many users is rising. In addition to mattresses, they can be found in clothing and luggage. They come out into the open at night to feed on human blood.
What they cause
In addition to edema and erythema, they also often cause psychological distress, sleep problems, anxiety and depression. Bedbugs, although considered potential vectors of diseases, are not involved in the transmission of any pathogen that can cause pathologies in humans, specifies the Higher Institute of Health. The bite, however, causes edema and itchy local erythema, largely due to allergic phenomena resulting from the inoculation of an anticoagulant contained in the insect’s saliva. The reaction is subjective: in some cases the local inflammation is notable, in others practically absent. Scratching – ISS experts warn – can cause secondary bacterial infections in the edematous area. Heavy infestations, as in Paris, can cause nervous system and digestive disorders in hypersensitive individuals. It has also been reported that children living in heavily infested homes may suffer from severe asthenia.
The infestations
Yet, in the second half of the 20th century, bed bugs seemed to have disappeared. Infestations in industrialized countries had become so rare – explains the Istituto zooprophylattico delle Venezie in a Manual for the prevention and management of infestation – that they were no longer considered a public health problem. The decline of this parasite is due to socioeconomic improvements and above all to the development of residual insecticides such as DDT. But, just before the start of the new millennium, we began to notice an increase in the number of bed bug infestations. An increase that continues, creating serious problems especially for accommodation businesses. The return of the insect, after a prolonged absence, took industrialized countries by surprise, as seen in recent months in France.
What insects they are
Bed bugs are elusive insects, they hide in a large number of cracks and crevices and therefore require special attention to find and eliminate. Over time they have become increasingly resistant to the chemical treatments used. Bed bugs are in fact the most difficult domestic pest to deal with successfully. Therefore, any intervention to control bedbugs must be carefully planned, adapted to the type of room infested and carried out in a professional manner.
The solutions
Contrary to what happens with other pest insects – highlights the ISS – the objective of the intervention cannot be the ‘control’ of bedbugs, but must aim exclusively at eradicating the outbreak, i.e. the total disappearance of adults, nymphs and eggs. A generic protocol must include at least 2 cycles of treatment with insecticides one week apart, but must be adapted to the specific needs of each individual outbreak. In private homes, or similar structures, it is generally sufficient to intervene in the sleeping area. In public places such as hotels, hostels, passenger ships, it is good practice to implement a discreet form of quarantine, keeping the rooms adjacent to the infested room free until the intervention has been confirmed.
An effective solution that does not involve the use of chemicals is steam. In recent years, devices have been developed that emit superheated dry steam, killing the eggs and adult bedbugs. Reaching very high temperatures, it eliminates them by thermal shock. A precaution that could be taken after every trip, on clothes and suitcases, to avoid these unwanted guests in your home.
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