Red Cross volunteers in partnership with the Nandi County medical team undertook a jigger eradication programme at Chepkurgung in Terik location, Aldai Sub County in Nandi. The area has been associated with a high jiggers infestation rate, with 90% of the school going children affected. Speaking to West Media, Terik MCA Osborn Komen said the programme which is spearheaded by the Nandi County Assembly was targeting the eradication of the menace, especially among school going children.
More than fifty residents received treatment including the children. Komen cited a lack of infrastructure and water as the main causes of increased jigger infestation and called upon the Nandi County government to increase water access and good infrastructure in the region. He also highlighted the high levels of poverty, leading to malnutrition and insisted on the importance of community integration, “If health workers are to deal effectively with the issues of community health, they need to understand their practices, poverty and attitudes,” he said.
