When they come in contact with humans, female jiggers latch on, burrow inside of their hosts, and lay their eggs. Once those eggs hatch, they burrow in alongside mom, which can lead to a slew of horrible side effects -- including death.
OMG! WTF If You Thought Mosquitoes Were Bad, Wait Until You See These Extremely Creepy Things..
By
Sumaiya Ghani in
Geeks and Gaming
On 13th October 2015
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#1 That's when jiggers attach themselves to human feet.
They bury their heads into the flesh and leave their abdomens exposed, almost like a tick. After about two weeks, the abdomen becomes engorged with eggs.
#2 The jigger is the world's smallest flea.
Before attaching to their hosts, these bugs live in sand and soil, waiting for something to step on them so that they can make their move.
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#3 The eggs multiply, destroying soft tissue, nerves, and blood vessels.
The result is quite painful if left untreated. Once the eggs hatch, the mother dies, which often leads to infection.
#4 Although the parasite can be removed by doctors, there is a certain social stigma associated with the infection that keeps people from reporting infestations.
Because of this, subsequent infections can lead to the amputation of limbs, and in the worst cases, even death.
I wear shoes pretty much all the time, but after seeing this, I might just start wearing them to bed. It's not worth the risk, so I'll just go ahead and leave my shoes on forever.
