1. How do I become a volunteer?
By filling and sending our Partners Form which you can find here on our website.
2. What do I do if I know someone who is jigger infested and they have not received any help?
Give us the exact location of the infested person and contact person's phone number and details and then forward that information to to our area representatives or call us on +254 713 477 621 or +254 20 2020881
3. When will you visit our area (giving a location)?
Visit the calendar of events on our website. It gives the loactions and details of cour countrywide events.
4. Where is the main office located?
At House J2, Jamhuri Crescent, off Kabarnet road, Ngong Road , Nairobi, Kenya. More details here >
5. Do you partner with other organizations?
Yes, we do. Kindly send an email to admin@jigger-ahadi.org or call +254 20 2020881for more information.
6. Does Potassium Permanganate (which we have seen you use in the treatment of jigger infestation) have any negative health effects on human body if you come into contact with it?
No, it only dries the feet and hence the reasons for applying petroleum jelly on the feet.
7. Where did jiggers come from?
There has been different theories about the
origin of jiggers in Kenya. But according to some
elderly people, jiggers were brought into the
country by colonialists, as a biological warfare,
to immobilise freedom fighters. They are said to
have been fed on substances that cause mental
retardation for human beings.
8.Is Central province the only place
in Kenya where jiggers are found?
NO. Jiggers are found in most parts of the Kenya. As
a matter of fact, they are also found in other African
countries, including Uganda and Tanzania.
9. Do jiggers affect any other parts of
the body apart from the legs?
YES. Jiggers are known to attack many other
parts of the body, including the hands and
knees. In our quest to fight jiggers and help the
afflicted, Ahadi Kenya Trust has encountered
people who have jiggers all over their bodies,
including the head.
10. Is there a jigger awareness day in
Kenya?
NO. Ahadi Kenya Trust is however pushing the
government to create one.
11. Why do people suffering from
jiggers infestation seem retarded?
Jiggers feed on ones blood, causing to low blood
circulation in the body. This in turn causes lack of
enough oxygen in the brain, hence the mental
retardation.
12.How do jiggers spread HIV Aids?
Though it is not the jiggers themselves which
cause the spread of the virus, there has been
reported cases of HIV infection through sharing
of pins and needles while removing jiggers. There
is a big risk of a HIV negative person contracting
the virus, through sharing of needles with a HIV
positive person to remove jiggers.
13. Do jiggers kill?
YES. So far, there are over 265 reported cases
of deaths caused by jiggers, across the country.
Seeing that many cases also go unreported, the
number could be higher.
14. Is there medication for jiggers?
There is no known medication to treat jiggers.
When Ahadi Kenya Trust started eradicating
jiggers, we were advised to use disinfectants
like savlon or dettol, and found that it works. We
have also been using a potassium permanganate
solution, which is also quite helpful. That said,
we are still researching for a medication that
can completely eradicate jiggers.
15. Are jiggers treated in hospital?
YES. Though most hospitals had earlier on
refused to take on jigger infested people as
medical cases, Ahadi Kenya Trust has fought
to ensure that jigger infested people receive
medical treatment and care like all other
patients in hospital.
16. What causes jiggers?
The biggest cause of jigger infestation is
poverty, and lack of proper hygiene. People who
do not keep their living homes clean, do not
take a bath every day, and also share their living
quarters with animals, especially poultry, are at a
higher risk of being attacked by jiggers.
17. Does one get back to normal after
the jiggers have been removed?
YES. With proper treatment and care, one can go
back to normal after jigger infestation. We have
seen people who were once heavily infested
getting back to productive life.
18. What is the Ministry of Public
Health doing about eliminating
jiggers?
The Ministry of Public Health has been very
supportive of the anti-jigger initiative. So far,
it has mobilised health officers to fumigate the
homes of the infested. It has also carried out
training for public health social workers in most
districts. Some money has also been set aside to
facilitate jigger eradication.
19. Are jiggers contagious?
NO. Although one has to observe proper hygiene
to prevent jigger infestation.
20. How many Kenyans are infested
with jiggers?
So far, there are over 2.6 million jigger infested
Kenyans registered by Ahadi Kenya Trust. The
number may be bigger, as Ahadi Kenya Trust
has not been able to carry out a comprehensive
behaviour study. The government recently put
the figure for those at risk of jigger infestation
at 10 million.
21. How did you start the anti-jigger
campaign?
The anti-jigger campaign started after we
encountered some families with severe jigger
infestation in Murang'a. In an effort to help
them, we discovered the problem was bigger
than we thought, as there were children who
were missing out on school due to the menace.
The fact that there had also been some cases
of HIV transmissions in the victims during the
jigger removal process really gave us a wake-up
call, and sprang us into action.
22. What can I do to help eradicate
jiggers?
To get involved in the jigger eradication process;
you can volunteer in charity work undertaken
by Ahadi Kenya Trust, adopt a child and sponsor
them in meeting their school fees and day to day
requirements, donate cash to help Ahadi Kenya
Trust buy disinfectants, sanitation material,
food, clothes and medication for those suffering
from jigger infestation, or help organize a
medical camp. You can also donate food, shoes,
clothing and sanitation products used in the
Anti Jigger initiative. Click here to contact us for more information >
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