Kenyan Organization Focuses on Scourge of Jiggers
May 31, 2012
A resident of Kamuli district in eastern Uganda, displays her foot, infested by jiggers. (File Photo)
An estimated 2.6 million Kenyans are infected with jiggers, a flea-like parasite that burrows under the skin. Left untreated, jiggers can lead to all kinds of secondary infections, loss of mobility and even death. Some 1.5 million children cannot go to school because of the scourge. A Kenyan organization has assisted in research for the world's first jiggers drug and has been holding medical clinics to help those suffering from the condition, which is linked to poverty and poor hygiene.
It is dubbed "the silent killer" because everyone wants to hide the condition. The feeling of shame at having it is unbearable.
Agnes Wayua knows this only too well. Her 10 children were infected with jiggers; one of her children and a grandchild died because of it.
"For that long time of jiggers and poverty, nobody recognized me in the village," she said. "Nobody could visit me or even greet me until they saw some signs of help. They began coming in one by one to join me because of what they are seeing. But some others even up to today gossip about me.
Help came from Ahadi Trust Kenya, an aid group aiming to wipe out jiggers in East Africa, provide support for those who have the condition, and reduce its stigma.
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