A wave of bed bugs sparked disgust and panic among many in the French capital last autumn. Media outlets around the world were quick to jump on the bandwagon – and eventually, the mass psychosis seemed to be a fact. The hysteria also led some French politicians to demand an action plan from the government ahead of the Olympic Games, which has just ended and attracted large numbers of visitors to Paris.
Later, a French minister claimed that the bed bug panic was fueled by Russian disinformation in social media.
Special Sniffer Dog
In South Korea, the government is worried that the country's Olympic athletes will bring back more than their 13 gold medals. Therefore, the two-year-old beagle Ceco, who can detect the pheromones emitted by bed bugs with his nose, has been stationed at Incheon International Airport in Seoul.
Ceco is described as the first and only dog trained in South Korea to track down bed bugs. He can inspect a standard-sized hotel room in under two minutes, claims the pest control company Cesco, according to the news agency Reuters.
"When the global community gathers in Paris, France, for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, there is a risk that bed bugs will enter the country after the event," the South Korean government writes in a statement reported by the news site Politico.
To Prevent
The operation at the airport is described in the statement as a "preventive measure".
Ceco and his team will work until September 8, according to the government, which also announces that planes arriving directly from Paris will now be disinfected once a week instead of once a month.
