Paris Tackles Bedbug Infestation as Videos Emerge

Skin-crawling video footage has laid bare the scale of the bedbug infestation afflicting the French capital, Paris, with the pests spotted in the seats of trains and movie theaters.

Clips posted across social media, or shared on TV, show the insects crawling along the seams of fabric-covered chairs, ready to suck the blood of the next unfortunate human who sits there. French authorities have admitted the problem is widespread and added that people are at risk of inadvertently carrying the creatures home with them.

Paris is the most-visited city in the world, and is one of the most-popular European destinations for travelers from the U.S., with 2.4 million Americans heading to Paris last year, according to the Belgian news website Brussels Times. A report compiled by the statistics website Statista revealed some 12 percent of visitors to Paris were American in 2022. These numbers are expected to swell next year as the city gears up to host the 2024 Olympics.

However, tourists are not likely to be the only ones enjoying the food during their stays, with bedbugs feasting on unsuspecting humans. A 2021 report in the international journal Insects tracked bedbug treatments being applied in hotels and found they were on the rise, increasing 114 percent in the period from 2011 to 2016. However, there have been fears that the bugs are becoming increasingly resistant to some insecticides.

News about the recent spike in bedbug sightings in Paris has been shared around the world. Turkish-based news outlet TRT World published a report about the issue with its social-media followers.

Other clips posted on social-media site X, formerly known as Twitter, showed the creatures crawling around inside train arm-rests and the seat of the chairs.

Gaming organisation Project TABS shared one such clip with its 11,600 followers, sparking disgust among viewers.

Bedbugs, which are flat red-brown insects about the size of an apple seed, often live inside mattresses, or in the seams of soft furnishings. They live on blood and will suck from their hosts for up to 10 minutes before crawling away, but the insects are not known for spreading diseases. The bites can become very itchy, and some people are allergic to them and have a particularly severe reaction.

The bugs are relatively common in hotels, public transport, or movie theatres due to the frequent turnover of guests. They may inadvertently introduce bedbugs into the location after the creatures catch a ride in their clothing.

Speaking to French TV station LCI on Friday, Deputy Mayor of Paris Emmanuel Grégoire said the infestation was widespread. He added: "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."

Johanna Fite of Anses, an agency for food, environmental and occupational health and safety, told CNN that the issue is prevalent almost everywhere in the world. She added: "It's mainly due to the movement of people, populations traveling, the fact that people stay in short-term accommodation and bring back bedbugs in their suitcases or luggage."

Newsweek has emailed the French office of tourism Atout France, seeking further information and comment.

Bedbugs are common throughout the U.S. too and, according to a 2019 study, Philadelphia, New York, and Dallas Fort Worth are among the most bedbug-infested cities.

Several of Las Vegas's best-known hotels have also been hit by outbreaks of bedbugs over the past two years.