KENYA: Jiggers infection affect schools


  1. James Gitaka, AfricaNews reporter in Nairobi, Kenya
    Efforts by the Kenyan Government to make primary school education free and compulsory in line with the Millennium Development Goals has had to face severe challenges ranging from inadequate funding to a high number of teacher student ratio that threatens the quality of education. The surfacing of jiggers infestation has also complicated the issue.
    jigger infested children in Kenya Photo: James Gitaka
    As the Kenyan Government endeavors to deal with the challenges, it is evident that the government will be required to save the plight of many students whose future in the Free Primary Education Programme (FPE) lies in the balance as a result of poverty.

    More than 15 students from Race Course Primary school in Langas slum Estate Eldoret were able to afford a painful smile after they received treatment for their heavily jigger infested feet which has had to see them abscond classes and sometimes arrive late for school.

    A jigger, scientific name Tunga penetrans, is a sand flea that is brought about by lack of hygiene and breeds in dirty areas. The impregnated female Tunga embeds itself in the skin under the toenails and feeds on the skin of its host. A jigger-infested foot is completely disfigured; the afflicted can barely walk due to the pain from ruptured flesh. The resulting social isolation in turn creates a sense of trauma and reduced self-esteem.

    The students who hail from poor background received the treatment from a community based organization Hope gain Youth group - the only organization in the slum estate that is providing help for jigger infested members of the community.

    The principal race course Primary School Leah Menjo was however reluctant to allow the youth group administer treatment to the students refuting claims that the students were unable to perform well in the Eldoret Municipal school following infestation by Jiggers.

    The Chairman of Hope Gain Youth Group Simon Ngige now calls upon the Kenyan government and civic leaders to take measures that will address the issue of jiggers which has become rampart and real in the region.

    Eldoret South member of parliament Peris Simam refuted claims that students are infested with jiggers in her constituency as a result of poverty an indication that more students and the community will continue to suffer under Jiggers.


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  1. Image of denesstu


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    The first evidence of infestation by this sand flea is a tiny black dot on the skin at the point of penetration. Because the flea is a poor jumper, most lesions occur on the feet, often on the soles, the toe webs, and around or under the toenails. A small, inflammatory papule with a central black dot forms early. This lesion can range from asymptomatic to pruritic to extremely painful. Multiple/severe infestations may result in a cluster of nodules with a honeycomb appearance as common choices.


  2. Image of enter

    momo nini
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