Bedbug Infection Sweeps Paris as the Government Vows Actions

(CNN) - The French government has vowed action to “reassure and protect” the public as its capital Paris reports a “widespread” rise in bedbugs.

French Transport Minister Clement Beaune has said he would convene a meeting this week to “undertake further action” to “reassure and protect” the public from the reported surge in the numbers of the blood-sucking insect.

French transport operators remain “vigilant” about bedbugs following reports of what was said to be sightings in public transport but say there have been no sightings in recent days.

RATP, the operator behind the Parisian metro, said it is “extremely vigilant on the matter” but there had been no recent sightings.

The company said Monday that “each sighting is taken into account and is subject to a treatment,” adding that “these last few days, there have been no proven cases of bedbugs recorded in our equipment.”

RATP said a report was made on Wednesday last week but after an assessment “no presence of bedbugs was recorded on the train.”

Railway company SNCF – which operates many trains in the country including the Eurostar – said it “takes reports of pests very seriously” but that “to date we have not observed any presence or proven reports of bedbugs.”

There have been recent calls for government action from Paris officials and trade unions mount after several videos of bedbugs spotted in public transport and other locations such as cinemas have surfaced on social media.

Speaking to French TV station LCI on Friday, deputy mayor of Paris Emmanuel Gregoire called the phenomenon “widespread.”

“You have to understand that in reality no one is safe, obviously there are risk factors but in reality, you can catch bedbugs anywhere and bring them home,” he said.

Three years ago, the French government launched an anti-bedbug campaign, which includes a dedicated website and an information hotline, as numbers of the insect surged.