What is the medical importance of Tunga penetrans?

Chigoe (Tunga penetrans) This flea, also called the jigger or sand flea, has major medical and veterinary significance because it burrows into the tissues of humans and some domestic animals.

What are African jiggers?

NAIROBI, Kenya – 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.

Where do jiggers come from?

Originally endemic in pre-Columbian Andean society and the West Indies jiggers were spread to other tropical and sub-tropical regions via shipping routes. They are now present in the Caribbean, Central and South America, sub-Saharan Africa, and India, but not in Europe or North America.

Is tungiasis curable?

In many cases tungiasis will heal on its own as the burrowed flea dies within 2 weeks and naturally sloughs off as the skin sheds. Over the 1-2 weeks whilst it feeds on the host’s blood the flea will lay more than 100 eggs that fall to the ground through the opening of the lesion.

What are the symptoms of tungiasis?

Tungiasis causes skin inflammation, severe pain, itching, and a lesion at the site of infection that is characterized by a black dot at the center of a swollen red lesion, surrounded by what looks like a white halo. Desquamation of the skin is always seen, especially after the flea expands during hypertrophy.

What happens after jiggers are removed?

Once Jigger free, their empty wounds must heal, and they are fitted for shoes. As their body takes time to recover from the trauma of removal, they rest and are moved into the most impactful part of Sole Hope’s process, EDUCATION.

How do jiggers enter the body?

Jiggers, small insects which look like fleas, are the culprits in the epidemic which causes parts of the body to rot. They often enter through the feet. Once inside a person’s body, they suck the blood, grow and breed, multiplying by the hundreds. Affected body parts – buttocks, lips, even eyelids – rot away.

How do I know if I have tungiasis?

How do you get rid of tungiasis?

How do you treat tungiasis?

  1. physical removal of the flea using sterile forceps or needles.
  2. application of topical anti-parasitic medications such as ivermectin, metrifonate, and thiabendazole.
  3. suffocation of the flea by applying a thick wax or jelly, and.
  4. locally freezing the lesion using liquid nitrogen (cryotherapy).