'No One Is Safe': Bed Bugs Invade Paris Ahead of Olympics

The common bed bug (Cimex lectularius).

The city of lights is beset by bed bugs. Sightings of the tiny urban pest in public places throughout Paris have apparently increased as of late, and officials are calling for aggressive action to curtail the menace in time for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

People have spotted bed bugs along the city’s public transit and at the Charles-de-Gaulle Airport, with some posting videos of their encounters on social media, Reuters reported over the weekend. The situation has gotten so bad that Transport Minister Clement Beaune is set to hold a meeting with public transport operators this week to discuss the issue. And city hall officials have called for the federal government to create a task force to stamp out the bugs.

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Bed bugs, despite their stigma, are not currently thought to spread infectious diseases, but their bites cause irritating itches and plenty of misery. Some scientists also theorize that they could raise people’s risk of allergic symptoms via the histamine they poop out, though this is still a speculative concern for now.

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