Qantas plane grounded after reported bedbug outbreak

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Passengers traveling from Italy to Australia failed to arrive in Perth as planned over the weekend, after their flight was canceled due to a reported case of bedbugs .

Qantas, Australian’s national airliner, was forced to cancel the flight scheduled for Saturday after passengers on an earlier incoming flight complained about being bitten onboard, according to CNN affiliate 9News .

The Australian news outlet reported that complaints were made by travelers who had been in the economy section of flight QF5 from Perth to Rome the previous day, October 9.

One of the passengers, Hailey Bagnall, told 9News: “(They were) crawling over our belongings, our clothing, our Qantas blankets, and they were even crawling along the window.”

Qantas told CNN on Tuesday that it’s still investigating the incident, saying in a statement: “We sincerely apologise to customers for the cancellation of Saturday’s Rome to Perth service, which allowed our engineers and maintenance teams to carry out a deep clean of the aircraft after an issue identified on a small number of economy seats.”

The airline said that cabins are regularly cleaned to a high standard.

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Two tourists died in Sri Lanka after hostel fumigated for bedbugs, police say

Customers who had been due to fly on Saturday were provided with accommodation and rebooked on alternative flights, according to the airline.

Bedbugs are small, flat insects. Reddish-brown in color, they tend to bite people while sleeping and feed on their blood, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ). They can be found all over the world and in a variety of settings.

Bites appear similar to those from mosquitoes and can appear swollen and itchy, with symptoms getting worse if the person is allergic to bedbugs.

Contrary to what their name might suggest, they are not just found in beds. The CDC website states: “Bed bugs spread by getting into the seams and folds of luggage, overnight bags, folded clothes, bedding, furniture, and anywhere else they can hide. Most people do not realize they are transporting bed bugs and infecting areas as they travel. “

Bites do not usually require treatment beyond topical lotions. However, infested areas should be treated by pest control, the CDC says.

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由于据报道飞机上出现臭虫病例，导致从意大利飞往澳大利亚的乘客周末未能按计划抵达珀斯。

据 CNN 附属机构 9News 报道，澳大利亚国家航空公司澳航被迫取消了原定于周六起飞的航班，此前一架抵达航班上的乘客抱怨在机上被咬伤。

澳大利亚新闻媒体报道称，前一天（10 月 9 日）从珀斯飞往罗马的 QF5 航班经济舱乘客提出了投诉。

其中一名乘客海莉·巴格纳尔告诉9News：“（它们）爬过我们的行李、衣服、澳航的毯子，甚至沿着窗户爬来爬去。”

澳航周二告诉 CNN，他们仍在调查这起事件，并在声明中表示：“我们对周六罗马至珀斯航班的取消向乘客们深表歉意，此次取消是为了让我们的工程师和维修团队能够对飞机进行彻底清洁，此前我们在少数经济舱座位上发现了一些问题。”

该航空公司表示，客舱定期进行高标准清洁。

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警方称，两名游客在斯里兰卡一家旅馆因臭虫进行熏蒸消毒后死亡。

据该航空公司称，原定于周六乘机的乘客已获得住宿安排，并被重新预订了其他航班。

臭虫是一种扁平的小昆虫，呈红褐色。据美国疾病控制与预防中心（CDC）称，它们喜欢在人们睡觉时叮咬吸血。臭虫遍布世界各地，栖息于各种环境中。

臭虫叮咬的症状与蚊子叮咬的症状相似，可能出现肿胀和瘙痒，如果患者对臭虫过敏，症状会加重。

与它们的名字可能暗示的不同，臭虫并非只存在于床铺中。美国疾病控制与预防中心（CDC）网站指出：“臭虫会通过行李箱、过夜包、折叠衣物、床上用品、家具以及任何其他可以藏身的地方的缝隙和褶皱传播。大多数人并没有意识到，他们在旅行途中会将臭虫带走并感染周围环境。”

叮咬通常无需除局部涂抹药膏以外的治疗。但美国疾病控制与预防中心（CDC）指出，虫害侵扰区域应由害虫防治公司进行处理。