Algeria has announced “precautionary measures” to stop the spread of bed bugs after a spike in sightings in France.
Measures include inspection and disinfection of aircraft, ships and land transport. and “strengthening epidemiological surveillance.”
The country will also take note Concerns that France’s outbreak could soon spread across the continent have prompted airports and ports to be cleaned and baggage to be inspected and disinfected.
With the Olympics due to be held in Paris in nine months, panic is growing that a surge in tourists could lead to a surge in blood-sucking insects in the capital.
French video footage showing bed bugs on trains and movie theaters has gone viral on social media.
Dozens of flights arrive into Algeria every day from French airports, and the two countries are also connected by ferry.
Fear of insects is causing panic in France, and the government is under pressure from all sides as the Olympics loom.
This week, an opposition lawmaker demanded action while brandishing a vial containing bed bugs in Parliament.
In the face of this growing anxiety, the government has scheduled an inter-ministerial meeting today to discuss this issue.
Government spokesman Olivier Veran said ministers were keen to “respond to the legitimate concerns of the French people”.
A French TV presenter also sparked outrage this week by suggesting that immigrants were to blame for France’s recent bed bug problem.
Pascal Proud, a presenter on the right-wing CNews channel, suggested there could be a link between bed bugs and the entry of immigrants who “do not have the same sanitary conditions” as people on “French soil”.
Proud, 59, and his comments were swiftly condemned by Emmanuel Macron’s government.
France’s anti-discrimination minister, Bérangère Couillard, said Mr Plow’s comments were “shocking”.
“I will never accept hate speech in the media,” Couillard added.
The presenter denied being racist and said he had been “insulted, harassed and defamed” by people who asked him questions online.
Bed bugs had all but disappeared from daily life in developed countries by the 1950s, but have reemerged in the past 30 years.
This is due to increasing resistance to pesticides, increased public travel, and a growing preference for second-hand goods.
More than one in 10 households in France have been affected by bed bugs in the past five years, according to figures released by French health authorities in July.
A bed bug expert has warned that there may already be an epidemic of bed bugs in the UK.
David Cain, founder of Bed Bug extermination company, told Sky News that London may already have “the same level” of pests as Paris.
Mr Kane estimated that around 5% of London households had had bed bugs in the past two years.
Data published by pest control company Rentokil in September revealed that bed bug infestations in the UK will increase by 65% from 2022 to 2023.
Eurostar has already put on alert to step up “preventative treatment” across its network to stop the bug from spreading.
Rob Smith, emeritus professor of entomology at the University of Huddersfield, warned that the virus could spread to the UK.
He told MailOnline: “Reports of bed bugs have been increasing over the years, both in the UK and in many other countries, but this is probably largely due to the development of resistance to insecticides.”
Pyrethroids and neonicotinoids are two commonly used insecticides to deter infestations, but pest companies warn that bugs are developing resistance to them.
Bugs with genetic mutations that allow them to withstand exposure to these chemicals can reproduce and pass the mutations on to their offspring. If these insects continue to breed, experts say, they will leave behind an army of insects that are resistant to current chemicals.