A small, poisonous beetle is plaguing the lives of HCM City residents, with thousands of people being treated for bites.
The culprit is the Paederus, or "rove beetle", which is attracted to lights in homes and often hide in washing being hung out to dry.
In District 7, one couple caught dozens of beetles, and residents have had to install insect screens on windows to ward off attacks. The beetle exudes a toxin that results in skin irritation on contact.
Some 1,200 students at the National University's dormitories have reported being bitten by the beetles. Nguyen Huu Khuong said seven roommates out of eight had been bitten.
Khuong's eye swelled up
"My eye swelled up. I had to take two days off because I couldn't open them," he said.
Paederus or "rove beetle"
Tran Thanh An, director of the dormitory's management board, said they had asked the city and district preventive health centres to deal with the problem.
He said 1,200 students have been affected and 500 are being treated.
An said the university has many trees and heavy rains in the past weeks contributed to the appearance of the beetles.
