Jiggers!

While we are in Cameroon we will have to be careful to watch out for these things called Jiggers which burrow beneath your toe nails and are very unpleasant to remove.  (I really really hope I don't get them)

Here is some information I have found on them.

Jigger (or harvest mite): larval mite that sucks the blood of vertebrates including human beings causing intense irritation

Jiggers like to live on the dust on the ground you walk on and from there get into your feet and other parts of your body.

The way they remove them here is to take a small stick of bamboo, sharpen it and pierce the skin around the Jigger, once all the skin is removed and the Jigger is exposed it is fairly easy to pry it out (except for the last bit where the Jigger bites itself into your skin, so you have to pull a bit there). It is very important to get a Jigger out in one piece (and not pierce its egg sack) to avoid a secondary infection.