Seoul city plans to conduct special inspections of 3,175 sites, including accommodation facilities and public saunas, to check hygiene management such as the washing of bedding and how regularly disinfections are conducted. - PHOTO: REUTERS
SEOUL (Korea Herald/ANN): Central and local government agencies in South Korea have begun implementing measures to prevent the spread of pests in the country amid the steady stream of bedbug reports nationwide.
In mid-September, a student reported having been bitten by bedbugs in a dormitory at Keimyung University in Daegu city.
On Oct 13, live bedbugs and larvae were found in a sauna in the Seo-gu in Incheon city.
Bedbugs have also been reported in Bucheon city, Yeongdeungpo-gu in Seoul and Busan city.
The Busan Metropolitan Government announced on Friday that it will post instructions for bedbug prevention on the city’s website, including information for vulnerable facilities.
On Monday, the Seoul Metropolitan Government also distributed guidelines for the prevention and management of bedbugs for related facilities.
Seoul city plans to conduct special inspections of 3,175 sites, including accommodation facilities and public saunas, to check hygiene management such as the washing of bedding and how regularly disinfections are conducted.
The inspections will continue until the end of 2023.
The authorities believe that increased overseas travel following the waning of the pandemic and lifting of travel restrictions may have had an effect on the current outbreak of bedbugs.
Since Wednesday, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has been guiding pest prevention information for people arriving from countries confirmed to have bedbug outbreaks, such as France and Britain, as well as companies importing cargo from those countries.
Bedbugs do not transmit infectious diseases, but they feed on human blood at night while people sleep, which can lead to secondary skin infections.
The reddish-brown, wingless parasites usually hide during the day in places such as the seams of mattresses, inside cracks or crevices, behind wallpaper or any other clutter around a bed.
If you are bitten by bedbugs, wash the area with water and soap and consult a doctor. - THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
