On Saturday, 18th January 2014, another “jigger camp” took place in Mbale. Jiggers are chigoe fleas, which dig themselves into people’s feet and breed there. 50 children and adults in our project came and underwent treatment. A number of women have now been medically trained to remove jiggers out of feet. Once the feet have been disinfected in a footbath, the chigoe fleas are cut out and the wounds treated with ointment so that they heal more quickly. A few days before the “jigger camp”, Recky Awino Kyalo and I bought some new shoes for the children and adults. Shoes prevent jiggers from digging into the feet again. I was able to actively assist in applying the ointment and distributing the shoes. It was of course not easy to get used to seeing the infested feet and the removal of the chigoe fleas. After such painful treatments, each child was happy to receive a new pair of shoes. For some children, the infestation was at such an advanced stage that they subsequently had to be treated in hospital, as it was not possible to remove all of the chigoe fleas from their feet.
These “jigger camps” must be carried out from time to time because infestation cannot be prevented due to the prevailing hygiene conditions. However, hygiene is usually not the priority for people in Mbale, as relatives – usually mothers and grandmothers – often have to provide for many children, making daily meals their main concern.
Without treatment, chigoe fleas infestations present a huge problem, as serious infections can lead to blood poisoning and consequently to deaths.
Saskia Lauke
Intern for hope in Kenya
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- Bei diesem Mädchen sieht man einen starken Jiggerbefall
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- Das Desinfektionsbad vor der Behandlung
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- Recky teilt die Kinder in Gruppen ein
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- Saskia beim Schuhe verteilen nach der Behandlung
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- Als Belohnung gibt es neue Schuhe
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- All children can go home with new shoes..
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- Recky beim Schuhe kaufen