From one extreme to another. Bedbug problem gone in just ten days France being taboo question Although it is a literal hell for those who suffer from these little bugs, they are marginalized in the media and great topic of discussion Currently, it is on the streets, on television and in high political circles. After suffering a major setback in the midst of the war in Ukraine, the climate crisis and the military withdrawal of the French State from Niger, it is somewhat ludicrously omnipresent, but bolstered by the magnifying glass effect of social networks and media.
Are Paris and other French cities facing a bedbug infestation? Has your wealth skyrocketed in 2023? “There’s been a lot of talk about these insects lately. But when we look at the data, we see this: There has been a steady increase since 2017, but we are not facing an explosive increase this year. “First of all, we are faced with a media spiral a year before the Olympic Games,” assures EL PERIÓDICO DE CATALUNYA of the Prensa Ibérica group in the French capital. entomologist Lena PolinFor example, she is known for her work as a distributor on social networks such as Instagram, where she has approximately 50,000 followers with the user Lena Scarabête. “This is a global problem, not a phenomenon unique to France.” To add.
“There is an increase in bedbugs around the world. This trend started in the 1990s and continues slowly and persistently. “Globalization and the ease of traveling from one country to another”explains entomologist Claudio R. Lazzarifrom the University of Tours. In recent years, he chaired a working group on this issue at ANSES, a government institution. A. 11% of French homes According to this comprehensive report, we have been affected by bedbugs since 2017. Its presence has been increasing in recent years, according to data from companies dedicated to its destruction. Lazzari says the current increase is “probably due to the Rugby World Cup”.
Spread to Macron’s government
Since bed bugs do not carry pathogens, It is not considered a public health problem in France. This has led to a lot of misconceptions about these parasites; for example, associating them with lack of hygiene and poverty. human mobility And tourism. It was also stated that this problem was limited to the private sphere and that the administration did not attach much importance to it. “Public action on this issue has been very weak so far.”laments Jean-Baptiste Eyraud, spokesman for the Droit au Logement collective. This association, similar to the Platform for People Affected by Mortgages (PAH), had already warned about this problem five years ago, particularly due to its presence in precarious hotels housing the homeless.
However, at the end of August, a social and media scandal was created after a young woman sent a message stating that she had been stung in a cinema in Paris. In cinemas, hotels, subways, schools… In recent weeks, Complaint messages increased on social networks About these parasites – some true, some false. A Parisian company even imprisoned its employees for this incident. A psychosis affecting the government Emmanuel Macron.
The Centrist Executive will celebrate this Friday interministerial meeting About this topic. The presidential party’s parliamentary group made a statement this week. invoiceDeclaring bedbugs as a public health problem will be discussed in December. The Socialist Party is also preparing a legislative initiative to include this phenomenon in property insurance coverage, because “many people” are discouraged from taking action against these parasites “due to the exorbitant costs of treatment.” -Between 800 and 1,000 euros- Or they are doing it wrong.
Immigrants under the spotlight
“Basically, what we want is for bedbugs to be recognized as a public health problem. That we stop telling people to wake up on their own,” said Mathilde Panot, a member of parliament from France’s Insoumise (affiliated with Sumar). “It has raised the most alarm about this problem in recent years.”“We lost six years”He complained about this representative who intervened in a question session of the Government on Tuesday with a pot containing dead bedbugs.
Predictably, the psychosis of recent days has been caught up in another trouble that the neighboring country is experiencing: the rightistization of public opinion and part of the political class. They linked their increasing presence in right-wing and far-right media to immigration. “It’s about accepting immigrants”The head of the parliamentary group of Los Republicans (LR, affiliated with PP) condemned Olivier Marleix.
According to scientist Lazzari, migration “does not seem to me to be a factor that significantly affects the presence of bedbugs. In large cities such as Paris, “Tourist flow is much more important than immigrant flow”. Although the media coverage has created a certain social hysteria, entomologist Polin sees it as positive that it has become a topic of national discussion: “Until now in France there was no obligation to treat bedbug infestations. There were modest people who could not afford to finance the treatment.” Although these insects bite the rich and the poor equally, class differences also affect the severity of the problem. And they can become hell.