Kenya fast facts: Jiggers

The first time I saw someone infected with jiggers I had no idea what I was looking at. Not being a doctor didn't help much, but my first incredibly uneducated guess was that the guy had elephantiasis - thick swelling of the legs, roughened feet, oh, and indigo blue skin (this was a somewhat baffling result of medication). Having travelled to Kenya as a teacher, I referred the guy to the clinic with money to pay for his treatment and hoped with all my might that they had something there to help him.

When I met the Kenya Aid team I soon learned the full story of jiggers and they're now part of one of my more gruesome nightmares. Gleefully Dr Ryan told me exactly what they were, and I'm going to spread the word in the hope that they can be added to our 'eradication' list to keep the mosquitoes company.

Jiggers, or sand fleas, make a home in your skin. The impregnated female jigger burrows under your finger or toe nails creating pus infected sores and feeds, laying her eggs before dying in your skin and creating further infection.


These little bugs are probably the nastiest things I've seen. The debilitating effects of a jigger attack is not only painful, but can also further the spread of HIV by the sharing of pins/needles to get the little buggers out. The only way to remove jiggers is to kill the flea and then dig it out and when this is done at home in unsterilised conditions, open wounds can lead to ulcers and infection such as gangrene that leaves the victim at great risk.

The Kenya Aid team sees many cases of jiggers each year, caused by lack of hygiene and lack of shoes to protect the patient against attack. Currently we are working on education to prevent attack, as well as treating cases as they occur. Click here to donate and help stop the jigger attack!