Busan City Mobilizes to Block Bedbug Spread... Pest Control Education and Inspection of Concerned Facilities

November 6, Formation of City Joint Countermeasures Headquarters

Full Effort to Block Bedbug Spread through Interagency Cooperation

Since forming the city joint task force on November 6, Busan City has been making every effort to block the spread of bedbugs by cooperating with related organizations in pest control education, inspecting facilities at risk of bedbug outbreaks, and conducting public awareness campaigns.

Busan City conducted a 'Special Training on Bedbug Response and Control.'

First, on the 22nd at 2 p.m., the city held a ‘Special Training on Bedbug Response and Control’ in the main conference room of the Waterworks Headquarters.

This training was organized to strengthen the on-site response capabilities of district and county health centers, public pest control teams, and private pest control companies such as the Pest Control Association, in response to the recent nationwide bedbug appearances.

About 300 participants attended the training, including representatives from health centers of 16 districts and counties, public pest control teams, the Busan branch of the Korea Pest Control Association, and private pest control workers.

The training included theoretical education by expert instructors from the Busan branch of the Korea Pest Control Association on the characteristics of bedbugs, their effects on humans, and control methods upon discovery. Practical training was also conducted, where pest control experts demonstrated equipment usage in indoor environments equipped with beds, mattresses, and furniture, which received high satisfaction from participants.

In particular, for proper bedbug control, when performing physical control, it was emphasized to spray steam heat devices in bedbug habitats and then use vacuum suction to collect the contents, which should be properly sealed in plastic bags for disposal. For chemical control, it was stressed to use insecticides approved by the Ministry of Environment strictly according to the prescribed methods and dosages.

Additionally, the city designated the period from November 13 to December 8 as an intensive inspection period, focusing on 3,534 facilities at high risk of bedbug outbreaks such as lodging facilities, dormitories, public transportation, and welfare facilities, inspecting bedding hygiene and signs of bedbugs.

The inspection speed will be increased to complete the inspections by December 1, one week earlier than the originally planned completion date.

To block the spread of bedbugs, over the past week, autonomous and on-site inspections were conducted at 1,017 locations including lodging facilities, dormitories, and public transportation. For vulnerable facilities, the city and district/county governments have formed joint inspection teams to conduct on-site inspections concurrently.

For vulnerable lodging and bathhouse businesses, related associations and inspection teams from 16 districts and counties are conducting thorough on-site inspections.

Seven dormitories within universities located in Busan have been intensively inspected for bedbug presence through professional pest control companies, and preventive activities to block bedbug spread are also underway.

Busan Transportation Corporation is inspecting for bedbug presence inside electric train cars and operates a stepwise high-temperature steam sterilization prevention system for bedbug eradication. In the future, the material of train car seats will be changed from fabric to composite PVC.

Districts and counties are also strengthening bedbug control systems and preventive activities. In Saha District, where bedbugs have occurred, 15.7 million KRW of contingency funds were invested to purchase steam heat devices and chemicals. Suyeong District is organizing and operating a ‘Special Bedbug Control Team,’ and Jung District is promoting amendments to pest control support ordinances.

The city has allocated a total of 100 million KRW in special grants to 16 districts and counties for purchasing pest control supplies such as insecticides and steam heat devices for bedbug eradication.

Furthermore, the city continues to operate a bedbug response reporting center through the Busan 120 Call Center and district/county health centers; hold joint response meetings with related departments (sanitation, tourism, welfare, etc.), health centers, and pest control associations; and conduct public awareness campaigns on proper bedbug response methods through posters, broadcasts, interviews, and various media.

Lee Sora, Director of the Citizen Health Bureau of Busan City, stated, “Since there have been no epidemiological reports of bedbugs transmitting infectious diseases, citizens do not need to have excessive anxiety about bedbugs.” She added, “As our city is responding swiftly to block the spread of bedbugs through various methods including this pest control training, we ask citizens to carefully check places where bedbugs may reside, such as beds and wall cracks, during the intensive inspection period and participate in preventing the spread of bedbugs.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.