Recently, as bed bugs have appeared in Korea, the government has started quarantine efforts, while Hong Kong, which has many tourists visiting Korea, has taken preemptive measures to prevent the inflow of bed bugs.
On the 8th (local time), the Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) said, “Regarding the recent bed bug problem that has occurred in some overseas areas, promotional leaflets are being distributed to travelers and inbound passengers at Hong Kong International Airport to reduce the possibility of bed bugs spreading to the local community.” “We have strengthened our promotional and educational activities,” he said. The leaflet distributed by FEHD included ways to get rid of bed bugs, such as boiling bedding in warm water above 60 degrees or storing items that cannot be heat treated in the freezer for 24 hours.
According to Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post (SCMP) on this day, FEHD urged airlines and airports to pay attention to aircraft hygiene, and announced that it plans to conduct on-site inspections at airports in the future to check for the inflow of bedbugs.
It is believed that the background to this measure by the Hong Kong government was the infestation of bedbugs not only in Europe but also in Korea, one of the most visited travel destinations in Hong Kong. Libby Lee, Hong Kong’s deputy health minister, said, “We are aware of the public’s concerns about the introduction of bed bugs by Korean travelers,” but urged people not to worry about bed bugs, saying, “From a medical perspective, bed bugs do not have a significant impact on people’s health.” .
It is reported that there has been no damage caused by bed bugs in Hong Kong yet. An official from EGL Tours, a local travel agency in Hong Kong, told SCMP, “There have been no cancellations of the Korea trip and we are not worried. We have not heard any complaints from guests returning from a trip to Korea or our guides.”
Earlier in the day, SCMP reported in an article titled ‘South Korea fights bedbug outbreaks amid tourism boom’ that bedbugs have recently been appearing in Korea and that measures are being taken at the government level.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.