Having recently
returned from my third visit to Western Kenya, I felt compelled to write
something on the crazy scenes unfolding surrounding a little known menace called
jiggers. Also known as Tunga Penetrans, Chigoe fleas or – perhaps less
sophisticated – Dodos. We’ll stick with “Jiggers” as it is the most commonly
used label in Kenya and also offers me quite a jazzy hook line for my blog. Once
one gets past the childish humour that comes with such a name as Jiggers, we
arrive at a serious neglected primary health issue that has sneakily chipped
away at many unsuspecting individuals, not only in Kenya but also large parts
of Sub-Saharan Africa, South America, the Caribbean and pockets of Asia
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| Jigger Campaign in Kibingei, Western Kenya. |
So now I have your
attention, let’s get in to the nitty-gritty of the problem.
What are Jiggers?
Without being to
scientific, Jiggers are basically sand fleas. They are very small parasitic
insects that live in dirty, dusty and dry terrain. They are often found in the soils
and dusty homes of rural areas. To survive, a Jigger will latch on to either
animals or humans, where it feasts on the blood. Jiggers are not high jumpers
so they are most common in areas that are in contact with the floor e.g.
toenails and fingernails. However there have been cases where they have
infested all over the feet, legs, hands, elbows, buttocks and even private
parts. The female jigger with the aid of the host’s blood can lay up to 100
eggs in two weeks, which drop off from the skin back on to the ground hatching
within three to four days. The first signs of infestation are itching and
irritation as well as a small black dot in the skin. If found and treated early
one can avoid a lot of problems. Unfortunately, there are too many cases where
the infestation is not identified early and the jiggers develop into a huge
problem which needs special treatment. Infestation can lead to serious health
and social problems of which we will explore at a later date.
AHADI KENYA – the main
organisation that works on Jiggers in Kenya – has registered around 2.6 million
infested people in Kenya alone. However the true number may well be more as it
is very difficult to identify infested people as they are often in very rural
areas where data is limited. Adding to this, jigger infection is something that
quite frankly has received minimal attention across the board in the Global
Development Health sector. Diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and Tetanus have
understandably taken the limelight when it comes to donor funding and support.
For these reasons the World Health Organisation (WHO) recognises it as a
neglected skin disease. Awareness needs to be raised on this subject if
progress is to made. So for the next few weeks I will continue to post on this
issue, addressing areas such as:
- The impact of jiggers and its implication
- How to prevent and treat jiggers
- What is being done to combat jiggers
- What needs to be done to combat jiggers
You may be surprised to
learn just how problematic these jiggers can be. So please bear with me as I
attempt to explain this as best I can in an interesting manner. I can’t promise
that I won’t gross you out with some horrific pictures, but I hope that you
take something from it and help raise awareness for those who are suffering
daily from jiggers. Expect another post next week.
