Worried traveller wears hazmat suit on Eurostar to avoid dreaded bed bugs

18 October 2023 , 10:53

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The video has 1.6 million views on TikTok. (Image: @mv.tiangue/TikTok)

There's no doubt the ongoing plague of bed bugs has made everyone a lot more aware of the precautions they should take when they are travelling – but one social media influencer has taken it to a whole new level.

Given that the epicentre of this insect explosion is in France, perhaps this TikTok video creator can be excused for her answer to the problem while travelling on Eurostar – donning a full hazmat suit like a Covid-19 medic, as seen in a viral video with 1.6 million views on TikTok.

@mv.tiangue told her 728K followers in the caption accompanying the clip, which was posted shortly after bed bugs were spotted on the London Underground as well on buses, that: “Eurostar bed bugs are not going to get me.” The video footage shows her decked out in a white hazmat suit aboard the train, which travels between London and France — as well as other parts of Europe.

According to the New York Post, in a follow-up clip, MV can be seen buying the Breaking Bad get-up before sitting on the train in what she hopes will be a bite-proof suit. While her outfit seems over the top, many viewers backed the measure, with one writing: “Omg that is smart.” However, others pointed out that she didn’t put a hazmat suit on her luggage, which can prove as much a haven for the blood-suckers as the clothes she was wearing.

And another follower said: "They can still attach to your skin, shoes, and other accessories. It’s been seven months of battling them in my apartment. It’s relentless." This comes amid the ongoing scourge, which is thought to have originated in Paris, where bed-bug infested mattresses have been abandoned on the city's streets.

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One particular street, Rue Saint Lazare in the city's 9th district, has been described as the worst hit area as its hotels attempt to curb the spread of the relentless bugs. Huge 'mattress mountains' were pictured dumped on the pavements with some covered in plastic. Dumping them, however, is thought to be inadvisable as this can spread their eggs.

The French government created a global action plan extending until 2024 to fight against the massive spread of the bloodsucking insects in France’s housing. While experts have blamed the travel boom for encouraging their spread. French pest control workers said that the bugs are now becoming "harder" to exterminate after they began to develop a resistance towards pesticide sprays. Nicolas Roux de Bezieux, who works for a pest control company in the country, said: "It’s harder to kill them than it’s ever been. Pest controllers have to return to kill them again because they survive the spray."

Paul Donald