Only a sound health programme can wipe out jiggers

Oct 18, 2010

EDITOR: The challenge posed by jiggers to people and the economy of Uganda is not generally known but one can say it is negatively profound. People have been dying quietly of jigger infestation but the existence of this problem has never caught the attention of the health authorities.

EDITOR: The challenge posed by jiggers to people and the economy of Uganda is not generally known but one can say it is negatively profound. People have been dying quietly of jigger infestation but the existence of this problem has never caught the attention of the health authorities.

Further, the bizarre reaction in which rural deaths are explained in terms of mysticism leaves little space for health research. Healthcare officials are considered to be the sole experts on matters of health and the health of the people is narrowly defined as sickness. There is distinct separation of people from the environment and for many, healthcare access is a privilege not a right.

Various authorities have descended on Busoga to try to remove jiggers from the feet of the victims. Unless we start thinking upstream, we shall continue to fail in such efforts. True, the people affected most are the rural folks, with limited education and knowledge about a hostile environment. Jiggers are zoonitics.

Zoonosis is the transfer of diseases from animals to humans. There is a culture in Uganda where people live way too intimate with domestic animals. In most villages, people even share huts with these animals. People must be sensitised not to live too close to animals.

A mechanism should be established to examine certain cultural practices that may compromise the health of the rural population. Establish health promotion strategies to ensure that the villagers begin to understand injuries, infections and other diseases and to realise how these impact on productivity and the general wellbeing.

We have seen how poorly we responded to floods, landslides and droughts. All these disasters could easily be avoided if we integrate health concerns and values in our daily practices.
Morris D. C. Komakech
mordust_26@yahoo.ca

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