Vita gazette – Emmanuel Macron’s government is moving to tackle the severe problem of bedbugs in France after a raft of videos showed the minuscule insects popping up on public transport.

France tackles insect invasion on public transport. Recently, videos of bedbugs in trains and on the Paris metro have circulated online. According to French news, bedbugs disappeared from France around 1950 before returning in the 1990s due to increased international travel.

The creatures’ habit of nesting in mattresses can also burrow into luggage and clothes.

“Bedbugs are a public health problem and must be declared as such,” Paris Deputy Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire wrote in a letter to French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Thursday, French media reported.

The deputy mayor warns “no one is safe” as the blood-sucking insects are sighted on subways, high-speed rails, cinemas and Paris’ main international airport.

“The State must urgently bring together all the stakeholders concerned to deploy an action plan commensurate with this scourge while France is preparing to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024,” Grégoire added.

“No one is immune,” Grégoire warned. He added that bedbugs are a particular problem in mega commuter cities like Paris. They “don’t stop at the periphery. It is a national emergency,” Grégoire said.

“I will bring together transport operators next week to provide information on the actions undertaken and act more to serve travellers,” said France’s Transport Minister Clément Beaune.