South Korea deploys sniffer dog to detect bedbugs from Paris Olympics

Athletes, officials and fans returning to Incheon airport are being screened to root out any potential infestation

A bedbug sniffer dog has been deployed at South Korea’s main international airport to scour the belongings of athletes, officials and fans returning from the Paris Olympics.
Greeting the returning team is Ceco, a two-year-old beagle, who pest control company Cesco said is the first and so far only canine trained in the country to detect the odour of pheromones, the chemicals released by bedbugs.
Ceco is capable of sweeping a standard hotel room in under two minutes, company official Kim Min-su said.
The pest control company has teamed up with South Korea’s ministries of security and transportation, as well as the country’s disease control and prevention agency, and is working with airlines and Incheon airport to screen travellers on arrival.
Last year, authorities in Paris raced to contain a nationwide panic over bed bugs as the city geared up for the Olympics. Worried that the tiny wingless critters might ruin the event it conducted a campaign to root out any infestation.
“As the global community is gathering in Paris, France, on the occasion of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, there’s a chance bed bugs will enter the country following the event,” South Korea officials said.
“Therefore, we are taking a pre-emptive response to intercept the entry through the Incheon international airport, which is the main gateway to the country.”
Ceco and his team were deployed on Friday as more athletes and officials started arriving from Paris and will continue to work through to Sept 8, the government said.
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South Korea sent 144 athletes to compete in the Olympics in Paris, which ended on Sunday.
Flights arriving directly from Paris are being disinfected once a week compared to a rate of once a month normally, and the airport quarantine service is on standby if an outbreak is detected in an aircraft or the airport.
South Korea also went through a period of national hysteria in 2023 after reports of suspected infestations at micro-apartments, motel rooms and a traditional spa called a “jjimjilbang” and conducted a widespread disinfection campaign.