The dispute between Morocco and France has transcended political boundaries, extending to talks about the transfer of "bed bugs" from Paris to Rabat, which has sparked reactions on social media. While the French government is facing a widespread bed bug crisis, the Moroccan Ministry of Health received a warning from the captain of a ship traveling from Marseille to the Moroccan port of Tangier, indicating a suspected presence of insects onboard, including bed bugs.
Immediately, health monitoring authorities at the Tangier port took action, including a thorough inspection of all ship components, its cargo, and public areas onboard, but found nothing reported. Nevertheless, the Moroccan Ministry of Health activated a health vigilance system to counter any possibility of bed bugs infiltrating the country, especially after their prevalence in France became known.
The lack of credibility of the report did not prevent social media users from reacting to the incident, with opinions varying between mockery of France, defense of it, and calls for caution against the spread of such insects. An Arab citizen, in a report prepared by "Al Jazeera," mocked the conditions in France: "Preventive measures are essential, and countries should classify France as an unsafe country in terms of cleanliness, implementing strict procedures for flights coming from France to prevent an insect crisis and a lack of hygiene from becoming a pandemic that sweeps the world, especially since France has a notorious history of poor cleanliness."
In a similar context, a user named Sabah said, "France should seek assistance from the Kingdom of Morocco to eliminate bed bugs because our bed bugs are manageable." Conversely, an account named Fattika stated, "Bed bugs are present in all Arab homes, especially those lacking sunlight and cleanliness, and they can even be found in 4 and 5-star hotels."
Stepping away from the previous opinions, an account called Maser suggested that what occurred was a type of marketing, saying, "It’s an opportunity for pest control and furniture companies; everyone will tend to change their furniture for new ones, smartly revitalizing the stagnant economy."
These fears of French bed bugs spreading to other countries extended to Algeria as well, but the Algerian health minister stated in press comments that the country is taking necessary measures to prevent the spread of these insects, adding, "We are a sunny and clean country where such issues do not arise."
Over the past few weeks, the percentage of purchases of insecticides and cleaning tools from specialized French stores has increased by 30%, but scientists say that 90% of bed bug species are resistant to pesticides.
