The Federal Government has heightened surveillance at all points of entry following the outbreak of bed bug infestation in France and other parts of Europe.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate however assured that appropriate public measures and responses are in place to contain the bed bug infestation nationwide.
In a statement on Thursday by the agency’s Director, Media and Public Relations, Patricia Deworitshe, the Coordinating Minister revealed that the Ministry has developed a draft sheet, which will be in circulation soon to strengthen awareness and health education on the control of bed bugs.
It reads in part: “Pate urged the public to cooperate with Port Health Officers at points of entry in the course of their surveillance activities. Bed bugs are small, flat reddish-brown wingless insects that infest beds, sofas, luggage’s and other furniture’s.
“They often crawl onto people’s bodies or luggage to travel to new surroundings.
“While they are not known to cause any illness, their bites cause discomfort, itching, anxiety, sleep disturbances, depression and allergies.
“Early detection is key to controlling their infestation, as they are capable of putting everyone at risk”.
What you need to know about Europe’s bedbug panic
Dermatologist Zeina Nehme says her clinic usually sees a number of cases every summer in which patients have been bitten by bedbugs while traveling. Yet surprisingly enough, she says none materialized this year.
However, like anyone else not living under a rock, Nehme has seen the flurry of headlines and social media accounts documenting the bedbug paranoia in Paris, which erupted during Fashion Week and has since spread to other cities including London.
So, during her recent trip to the City of Light, Nehme decided to embark on an experiment of sorts: to see one of the troublesome critters firsthand and use it as fodder for a social media video.
But Nehme, who is based in Beirut, Lebanon, says she found nary a pesky parasite during her long weekend: not on the metro, in restaurants, nor the 17th arrondissement apartment where she stayed with a friend.
“Since I am a dermatologist and I post a lot on my clinic account, I thought it would be nice to post a reel on bed bugs,” she told CNN Travel. “I actively searched to find one to take pics and do the reel. Nothing.”
Cynthia Starkey, a lawyer based in Phoenix, also had a close eye out for the critters while she and her daughter recently visited Paris during their three-month, six-country trip through Europe. But, like Nehme, neither saw any in their Airbnb rental, on public transit, or elsewhere.
In fact, Starkey said, most of the panic about the Paris leg of their trip has come from friends and family elsewhere – like her sister back in the US, who texted Starkey that she’d heard the 2024 Summer Olympics, which will be held in Paris, were being canceled because of the bedbug situation.
“I was like, ‘I find that very hard to believe’,” Starkey told CNN Travel.
Following a previous heads-up Starkey received from a journalist friend who lives part time in Europe about the bedbug situation, Starkey’s daughter, Mikayla, had already done some online research.
“She’s like, ‘I’m seeing that it’s no worse this year than any other year, and I’m not concerned,’” Starkey said. “So if she wasn’t concerned, I’m not either.”
