Jigger-infested family admitted at Kabale hospital

JIGGER INFESTATION

KABALE - A mother and her four children have been admitted at Kabale regional referral hospital in critical condition following a jigger infestation.

The children Morren Kobusheshe, 10, Honest Byaruhanga, 5, Gilbert Kabeni, 3, Bruceson Byamukama, 1 together with their mother, Irene Mbarusimana, hail from Mushanje cell in Nyarushija parish, Bufundi sub-county, Rubanda district.

Mbarushimana said that they have battled these jiggers for the last six months.

She suspects that the jiggers could have resulted from sharing a house with hens.

Mbarushimana further revealed that she failed to purchase medicine to treat her children due to poverty.

"We have a very small house which has always been congested making it hard for us to avoid jiggers." she added.

However, Ezra Nsigirenda, the Managing Director of Stretch Hands Uganda, a Non-Governmental Organization operating in Rubanda district attributes jigger infestation in the area to poor hygiene.

"Most residents no longer smear the floors of their houses with cow dung to seal off gaps that harbour fleas. This is adding up to the escalation of this problem." he said.

Nsigirenda added that jiggers had plagued the children's feet, fingers, thighs and buttocks.

He added that all of the children affected by the problem were malnourished and in dire need of medication which prompted him to bring them to Kabale regional referral hospital for medication.

According to Dr. Anne Mariam Namutebi, the Deputy Director for Kabale regional referral hospital, the five members of the same family were brought on Monday at around 6pm in critical condition but they are undergoing medical treatment.

In June last year, over 40 families from Bufundi sub-county, Rubanda district were reported to have experienced an infestation of jiggers.

The Batwa coordinator in Kigezi region, Gad Semajeri said that most Batwa live in poor and unclean houses thus making it risky for them to be attacked by jiggers.

He added that most families have always abandoned community meetings where they would discuss ideas of preventing jiggers and improving hygiene in their areas.

In 2015 one woman was confirmed dead due to jiggers in Butanda sub-county Kabale district.