Local gov'ts go all out to exterminate bedbugs as infestations spread - 코리아타임스

Workers disinfect a university dorm room in Daegu after bedbugs were found in the facility, Oct. 19. Yonhap

By Lee Hae-rin

Several local governments, including Seoul, Incheon and Busan, are scrambling to stop the spread of bedbugs amid growing reports of infestations across Korea.

Korea brought bedbugs nearly to extinction via nationwide extermination campaigns in the 1960s, but started to see a surge in reports last month, including multiple cases at a university dormitory in Daegu and a public sauna in Incheon.

On Sunday, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said it has received 17 cases related to bedbugs so far, raising concerns over a rapid spread of the critters in the densely populated capital with 9.4 million people.

In response, the city government will operate a bedbug report center to receive notifications of sightings and bites via public health centers, under its “zero-bedbug city project."

The city government will also operate 120 Dasan public call service number and the city’s website and, in reposnse, dispatch public health and city officials to affected areas to control infestations and take preventative measures.

Seoul will conduct intensive hygiene inspections and take prompt insect control measures to eradicate bedbugs in subways, hotels, public bathhouses and movie theaters ― all areas that are possible hotspots for insect infestations due to high volumes of human traffic.

Meanwhile, Incheon, which saw a recent report of bedbugs at a public bathhouse, also plans to conduct comprehensive hygiene inspections in 48 public saunas and over 700 hotels in the city.

The city government requires public saunas and accommodations to sterilize their facilities at least once a month. Those violating the regulations are subject to administrative measures and fines.

The Busan government started to provide updates on bedbug reports in the city on its website and provide prevention and response measures at public health centers.

Those who have been bitten by bedbugs are recommended to wash the bites with soap and water and consult with a doctor or pharmacist, although the insects are not known to transmit diseases. Their bites can cause itchiness.

The Korea Disease Control Agency (KDCA) will provide pest control training sessions to companies that are involved in logistics for imported goods and passengers from countries grappling with bedbug infestations, such as France and the United Kingdom.

“Those exposed to bedbugs while traveling abroad should thoroughly sterilize their travel accessories and take caution to check for bed bugs at their accommodation so as to avoid bites,” the KDCA commissioner Jee Young-mee through a released statement.

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