For Nicolas Roux de Bézieux, “the period when we are most dangerous when we have bedbugs is when we have not yet realized that we have them”. Hence the interest, according to him, in doing more education.
“There is a big lack of pedagogy”, around prevention against bedbugs, said this Thursday on franceinfo Nicolas Roux de Bézieux, the director of Badbugs.fr (specialist site for domestic pests) and author of “Bed bugs! The guide to getting rid of them for good”. More than one household in ten is affected by this insect in France.
>> Train, cinema, hospital… bedbugs invade public places
The Paris town hall called on the government this Thursday, September 28, for a national plan to combat bedbugs, particularly in anticipation of the Paris Olympics next summer. Nicolas Roux de Bézieux also expects a “explosion in the number of infestations”, if nothing is done by then.
franceinfo: Why does this parasitic insect proliferate to this extent?
Nicolas Roux de Bézieux: There is a big lack of education, many people don’t know what it is. So, these last few weeks, it’s very good, we talk about it a lot. But the most dangerous time to have bedbugs is when you haven’t yet realized you have them. So, we continue to go to friends’ houses, to go to the cinema, to go to hotels. This is how we will infest public places, loved ones, and risk contaminating even more people.
Could this pose a public health problem?
Yes and no. There is no public health problem in the sense that bedbugs, unlike mosquitoes or rats, do not transmit diseases that can be dangerous for humans. On the other hand, where there is a danger, it is for the people affected who can have both a psychological and financial impact which is extremely heavy. Psychological, because the insect bites you at night in your bed, so it’s very, very hard to sleep well. Once the infestation is resolved, there is a psychosis which can last for quite a long time. There are 72,000 medical consultations each year because of bedbugs, mainly due to disorders resembling post-traumatic stress in people who, as soon as they get a bite, feel like it’s there. is, here we go again, it’s a new infestation that’s starting, when maybe it was just a mosquito.
What can we do at the national level, in a control plan, for example?
Unfortunately, this is something that mainly concerns private homes, but there are undoubtedly things that can be done in terms of prevention in public places, particularly on trains and cinemas. It’s already pretty well taken care of by these actors. At the state level, I think that the only thing that would be really important is to push this pedagogy among individuals so that they realize as soon as possible, especially after the Olympics, if they are affected or not, in order to prevent them from contaminating other people or their workplace. Perhaps we should also finance treatment for people who are in precarious situations?
How do you know if you have or are going to have bedbugs in your home?
There are three little prevention tips that everyone should really know to avoid bringing them back.
The number one cause of infestation is travel. So, if you have the slightest doubt when returning home, obviously, the suitcase does not return home because it is mainly via the suitcases that the bug will travel. So you put all your stuff in trash bags. And these things, either you wash them at 60 degrees, and you put them in the dryer. Either you put them in the freezer for a few days. You can do this when shopping for second-hand clothes too.
The second cause of infestation is relatives, affected neighbors. So, don’t hesitate to talk about it to those around you. Furthermore, avoid putting coats on the bed when you have parties at home or go to friends’ houses. It’s really the best way to get rid of them.
Third thing, you need to insure yourself against bedbugs. It’s possible and it costs 2 euros, there is specific insurance. It doesn’t matter whether you are an owner or tenant, whether you have your home insurance with any insurer. It allows you to be supported, to have treatments that are covered, to have psychological follow-up.
To detect them at home, the first signal will be recurring bites. You will be stung once, then again a few days later and again later. Then little by little, it accelerates and then we will start to find traces of bedbugs after 6 to 8 weeks on average, with small traces of droppings on the mattress or the bedbugs themselves.