New Delhi: South Korean authorities are working to contain an outbreak of bedbugs that have raised alarms throughout the nation.
As of November 5, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that there have been at least 17 cases of bedbug outbreaks in the capital city of Seoul, as well as in the cities of Busan and Incheon.
According to a news agency, Seoul has set aside 500 million won ($383,000) and put up a response team against the blood-sucking insects.
While bedbugs do not transmit disease, their bites can cause intense itching. Scratching to relieve the itch can cause wounds that may lead infections or scarring, according to BBC.
The country has recently experienced, however, a surge in reports of bedbug appearances and damage nationwide, including those from a university dormitory in the southeastern city of Daegu and a commercial sauna in Incheon, west of Seoul, last month.
In South Korea, bedbugs had been nearly brought to extinction following sweeping disinfection campaigns in the 1960s and the adoption of the powerful pesticide dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane, commonly known as DDT, in the 1970s, reported Yonhap News agency.
To stop the proliferation of bedbugs, the Seoul city government has devised and is pushing for an insect prevention project, called the "Zero-bedbug city project," IANS reported citing city officials.
Under the system, the city will operate a "bedbug report centre" allowing people to quickly notify the city of bedbug appearances via public health centers or the city's special 120 Dasan public call service number. Reports can also be filed through a special banner on the city's homepage.
According to a report by IANS, Seoul is currently conducting intensive hygiene inspections of bedbug-prone public facilities, such as hotels, other types of accommodations, public bathhouses, and Korean public saunas.
In cooperation with ward offices, the city plans to inspect 3,175 such public facilities to assess bedding maintenance and facility disinfection conditions, and continue with the inspections through the end of the year.
If a bedbug presence is confirmed at commercial accommodations or hotels, prompt insect control measures will be ordered and two more inspections will be conducted over the next 20 days to confirm bedbug extinction, reported IANS.