The Boeing 787 was taken out of service at Fiumicino for a deep clean, forcing the airline to cancel its Rome-Perth return flight.A Qantas aircraft was grounded in Rome after bed bugs were found in its economy cabin, leading to the cancellation of a long-haul flight to Australia.  The Boeing 787 Dreamliner operated flight QF5 from Perth to Rome on Friday 9 October, a journey of nearly 17 hours.   Passengers reportedly complained of being bitten during the flight, and were given antihistamines to ease the itching. Insects were found in a few rows of economy seats. Flight cancelled The plane was due to fly back to Perth on Saturday 10 October. However Qantas withdrew it from service to allow for a deep clean to be carried out, and cancelled the flight.   Qantas apologised for the cancellation of the flight, stressing that the issue had been identified on “a small number of economy seats”.   Affected passengers were given hotel accommodation and rebooked on other flights within 48 hours of their original departure time. Qantas said its cabins are cleaned regularly and given a preventive disinfectant treatment every 50 days.   It is believed that the bugs were likely carried on board in a passenger’s luggage or clothing before they spread around the cabin.   Bed bugs, or bedbugs, are small, wingless insects no more than half a centimetre long. They feed on the blood of humans and other animals. Their bites can cause itching and redness but pose no other health risk, except in people who are allergic.   They cannot fly, and travel by hitching a ride on bags and clothes. They are also hard to remove because they can hide in crevices and fabrics for long periods without feeding.   Photo Shutterstock