By Online Desk
South Korea’s government has declared war on bedbugs. The government has launched a four-week campaign following confirmation of the outbreak thought to have originated in France in September.
As of Tuesday, 30 cases had been confirmed nationwide, the Yonhap news agency said, adding that more than half were in the capital, Seoul, according to The Guardian.
Starting next week, authorities will carry out inspections of “vulnerable” locations – including public bathhouses and lodging facilities – and immediately disinfect places where the bugs are found, The Guardian said.
According to the report, South Korea almost eradicated bedbugs during a nationwide disinfection campaign in the 1960s, and had recorded just nine cases in the decade before the recent invasion.
The bedbug outbreaks has been reported at a time the country is witnessing a post-pandemic tourism boom. The outbreaks have led some locals to steer clear of public transport or cinemas to avoid the bloodsucking pests, according to the South China Morning Post.
Hygiene authorities are asking international travellers from places including France and Britain, where outbreaks were reported, to disinfect their belongings thoroughly amid fears that the bugs may hitch a ride to other locations.
“Those who might have been exposed to bedbugs while travelling abroad should thoroughly sterilise their travel accessories,” the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said in a statement last week.
The South China Morning Post added that authorities have also warned that spraying the hardy insects with insecticide will not get the job done, admitting that the country needs to introduce other kinds of pesticide than the existing pyrethroid-based chemicals.
Local news broadcasts showed videos of the small, reddish-brown insects that are about the size of an apple seed, crawling on clothes, and hiding in cracks and crevices of walls and sofas, sparking public phobia of the bugs that most South Koreans have never seen before, the report said.
Bedbugs feed on human and animal blood but normally do not transmit disease, according to Park Yoo-mi, a senior Seoul City health official, SCMP report said.
“However, bedbug bites can lead to skin rashes, severe itchiness or allergic symptoms, causing economic and psychological damage. Therefore, we will aggressively respond to the outbreak,” she said. Follow channel on WhatsApp
South Korea’s government has declared war on bedbugs. The government has launched a four-week campaign following confirmation of the outbreak thought to have originated in France in September.
As of Tuesday, 30 cases had been confirmed nationwide, the Yonhap news agency said, adding that more than half were in the capital, Seoul, according to The Guardian.
Starting next week, authorities will carry out inspections of “vulnerable” locations – including public bathhouses and lodging facilities – and immediately disinfect places where the bugs are found, The Guardian said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
According to the report, South Korea almost eradicated bedbugs during a nationwide disinfection campaign in the 1960s, and had recorded just nine cases in the decade before the recent invasion.
The bedbug outbreaks has been reported at a time the country is witnessing a post-pandemic tourism boom. The outbreaks have led some locals to steer clear of public transport or cinemas to avoid the bloodsucking pests, according to the South China Morning Post.
Hygiene authorities are asking international travellers from places including France and Britain, where outbreaks were reported, to disinfect their belongings thoroughly amid fears that the bugs may hitch a ride to other locations.
“Those who might have been exposed to bedbugs while travelling abroad should thoroughly sterilise their travel accessories,” the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said in a statement last week.
The South China Morning Post added that authorities have also warned that spraying the hardy insects with insecticide will not get the job done, admitting that the country needs to introduce other kinds of pesticide than the existing pyrethroid-based chemicals.
Local news broadcasts showed videos of the small, reddish-brown insects that are about the size of an apple seed, crawling on clothes, and hiding in cracks and crevices of walls and sofas, sparking public phobia of the bugs that most South Koreans have never seen before, the report said.
Bedbugs feed on human and animal blood but normally do not transmit disease, according to Park Yoo-mi, a senior Seoul City health official, SCMP report said.
“However, bedbug bites can lead to skin rashes, severe itchiness or allergic symptoms, causing economic and psychological damage. Therefore, we will aggressively respond to the outbreak,” she said. Follow channel on WhatsApp
