The prime preventive measure of the jigger or sand flea is observing cleanliness. Wearing of shoes should also be encouraged to ensure that the flea does not find entry into one’s feet.

In infested areas, people should check their feet daily for freshly burrowing jiggers, which are visible as minute black spots and cause an itchy sensation. The fleas may also be deterred by a repellant applied to the skin, although walking barefoot in dirt quickly removes it (the repellant).

If it is possible to locate the area of soil where jiggers originate, it could be burnt off or sprayed with a suitable insecticide in an effort to kill the fleas.

Nymphs and adults feed on insect eggs, small insects and other organisms found on or near decaying wood. Larval chiggers congregate in shaded niches near the tips of grass leaves, weeds, sticks and other objects close to the ground.

They are activated upon the approach of people, probably by odour, carbon dioxide output and other stimulating factors, and crawl onto people for feeding.

Their preferred feeding locations on people are parts of the body where clothing fits tightly over the skin such as around the belt line, waistline, undergarments and under socks, or where the flesh is thin, tender or wrinkled such as the ankles, in the armpits, back of the knees, in front of the elbow, or in the groin region.

Jiggers’ larvae do not burrow into the skin, nor do they suck blood. The reason the bite itches so intensely and for such a long time is because the jigger injects saliva into its victim after attacking the skin.

This saliva contains a powerful digestive enzyme that literally dissolves the skin cells it contacts. Also, this digestive fluid causes surrounding tissues to harden, forming a straw-like feeding tube of hardened skin cells from which further, partially digested skin cells may be sucked out.

The itching probably results from the digestive action of the enzymes injected by the larva into the skin. Affected skin tissue becomes red and swollen. It may completely envelop the feeding jigger, making the jigger appear to be burrowing into the skin.

Jigger bites have a more severe effect on some persons than others. The bite itches intensely and may continue itching for several days after the chigger is killed or drops off.

The first evidence of infestation by this sand flea is a tiny black dot on the skin at the point of penetration. Because the flea is a poor jumper, most lesions occur on the feet, often on the soles, the toe webs, and around or under the toenails.

A small, inflammatory papule with a central black dot forms early. Within the next few weeks, the papule slowly enlarges into a white, pea-sized nodule with well-defined borders between 4-10mm in diameter.

This lesion can range from asymptomatic to pruritic and to even extremely painful.

Immediately after exposure to jigger infested areas, take a hot bath to kill and remove jigger larvae. Launder field clothes in soapy, hot water (125°F.) for about half an hour.

Infested clothes should not be worn again until they are properly laundered and/or exposed to hot sunshine. Unlaundered clothes or those laundered in cool water will contain the biting jiggers to again re-infest the skin.

For temporary relief of itching, apply ointments of benzocaine, hydrocortisone, and calamine lotion Never apply household products such as kerosene, turpentine, ammonia, alcohol, gasoline, salt or dry cleaning fluid on affected skin.

The treatment consists of the extraction of the entire intact insect. The breaking of the jigger may cause inflammation and possible infection. 

The best recommended treatment for this kind of attack would be to soak the feet in a solution of alcohol for instance hydrogen peroxide or the other commercial disinfectants like dettol, savlon etc.  A victim should soak their feet for about 15 minutes every day for about two weeks and this will completely kill the bugs.

For a complete eradication of the bug, their homes should be thoroughly fumigated and any animals that also have the fleas treated.

To ensure that the home is bug free, the victim and the rest of the family have to be educated on the need to observe hygiene and ensure that the bugs do not find a home in their homes again.

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