The plan put in place has two aspects: information for citizens and supervision of professionals, with a label and training.
They had practically disappeared, but are coming back in force: bedbugs have been on the rise in recent years in France. On Friday, February 21, the government launched a plan to prevent and fight against these pests. A information campaign is set up with a toll-free number and a site, and professionals will have to structure themselves before a label is established. A mission should soon be dedicated to this issue at the National Assembly.
Stop the #drawing pins beds that rot the lives of millions of French people. We are launching a fight plan:
???? information to citizens to avoid bad behavior
✔️ training & labeling of qualified professionals
to help you: ????0806 706 806 ????https://t.co/0kL4k9Jd56 pic.twitter.com/ENyQfQBhqb— Julien Denormandie (@J_Denormandie) February 21, 2020
Mini insect, maxi scourge
Bedbugs are small insects: their size does not exceed that of an apple seed. They like to nestle in nooks sheltered from the light, such as mattresses, armchairs or wooden furniture. At night, they feed on human blood. Their bites cause very strong itching, but they do not transmit diseases. However, some people can have allergic reactions.
To know if you have been bitten by bedbugs, the appearance of the bite can help you: usually there are several and they are grouped in a line. The second way to identify them is to analyze the bedding. Bed bug droppings leave black marks on mattresses, and sometimes even on walls.
When bed bugs are detected, the hardest part is yet to come: getting rid of them. All bedding and clothing should be washed at 60°C as insects cannot tolerate extreme temperatures. Then, you have to do a thorough cleaning by freezing small objects and steam cleaning the walls and corners of the rooms. If there are eggs left, the bedbugs will be able to continue breeding. Professionals can intervene in case of failure. They can spray effective products to overcome it.
Several reactions in the political world
The government’s announcement follows several positions taken by different political parties. As reminded The world, the former LREM candidate for Paris City Hall, Benjamin Griveaux, pleaded for a municipal service dedicated to bed bugs. During the summer of 2019, the deputies of France Insoumise demanded a national eradication plan. They want the setting up of a framework for the prices charged by professionals and a ban on chemical treatments.
In France, the number of sites infected with bed bugs is constantly increasing: it rose from 180,000 in 2016 to 400,000 in 2018. In 2019, there was a further increase of 30%.
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