Jiggers are a type of sand flea that are a menace here in
Uganda. Many children get jiggers in
their feet because they do not wear shoes.
The best prevention for jiggers is to wear a pair of shoes - even something as simple as flip-flops! The
flea burrows into the skin and lay eggs, they hatch and lay more eggs. It is
very painful.
The
only way to get rid of jiggers is to “dig” them out with a needle. The locals use a safety pin or sewing needle.
We have gone to many bush schools and
dug out jiggers in the past.
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| Kim, digging jiggers in Syonga back in 2013 |
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Sam has the worst case of jiggers we
have ever seen. He is a little boy that
lives down the road from the VOE. His
parents abandoned him and went to the Lake Victoria area. He has never known them. He and his older brother live with their
blind grandmother.
We asked and have received permission
from the uncle to have Sam stay with us for a few days so that we can help him
with the jiggers.
Today, Brenda began working, but it
is EXTREMELY PAINFUL. The skin is dead,
but it is attached to live skin. Brenda
began pulling out these black balls, about the size of a roly-poly. We were not sure if it was blood, dirt or
skin. When we saw the legs on one, we
realized they were jiggers!
Please pray for Sam. He has a lot of painful cleaning sessions
ahead, but it is the only way to get him well again. Pray that he will allow us to work and help
him. Pray that the pain would not be too
much for him to bear. Pray that we can
reach his family, uncle, brother and grandmother through this time of healing.
