While the government launched a big plan against bedbugs on Friday, Stéphane Bras, spokesperson for the Union Chamber of Disinfection, Pest Control and Rodent Control Industries (SC3D), explains the issues that arise today.
We are in 2020. The subject is only dealt with now. Why ?
STEPHANE ARMS. You can't say it's too late. The subject is finally on the table: it's good. This is topical because there has been a sharp increase in cases of infection. But if the subject is today only carried by the Ministry of Housing, it must be by all, by the Ministry of Health, Economy, Education ... Bedbugs are not not just in accommodation!
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What is the situation today ?
She is critical. There is an upsurge in the number of infected sites across the country: + 35% in one year. 400,000 sites were infested in 2018. The cities, and the Ile-de-France, are particularly concerned because there are significant flows, full of people who meet ... We have cinemas, and hotels which are affected. It is everyone's problem because someone who does not have bedbugs at home today could very well have them tomorrow. This is all the more problematic as more and more people are turning to the second hand and the opportunity without realizing that traveling with these objects of bedbugs.
What should we fear?
There could be big consequences, on a political, economic and tourist level, if we do nothing: Paris, at the dawn of 2024 and the Olympic Games, should not be invaded by bedbugs, as in the past were certain cities in the United States or Canada.
Can you imagine eradicating bedbugs?
As things stand, no. There is no prevention, no control. We, as professionals, intervene when the situation is already problematic. Rules must be put in place, as in Canada and the United States. For example, each time a tenant changes, we could force landlords to check that there are no bedbugs. You really have to move forward to get there.
