Efficacy of Coconut Oil in The Control of Acute Tungiasis

Gitau Anthony K. , Oyieke Florence Awino, Evan Mathenge

Tungiasis is a disease caused by a jigger flea (Tunga penetrans). The flea turns into an ectoparasite once embedded on the host. It is a public health problem in Kenya, particularly in poor rural communities. There is therefore a need to explore the possibilities of developing local, innovative solutions to this problem. The efficacy of coconut oil in controlling tungiasis in a rural setting in Kenya was, evaluated with a view of developing a solution based on scientific data. A baseline survey was, carried out to assess infestation and severity of the disease. A severity score for acute disease was, used in the study. A cohort of 39 individuals, with varying degrees of infestation was, recruited for treatment and follow up. The recruited study participants were first examined for a period of 30 days followed by an intervention treatment with coconut oil applied twice daily for a period of ten weeks to prevent re-infestation.

The spearman rank correlation coefficient was, calculated to assess the significance of the association between the severity scores and infestation rate. The correlation coefficient was strong (r = 0.6). To compare findings before and after the intervention, the mean of each variable was determined for each patient during baseline assessment and during the intervention. The difference between baseline and after intervention results was, assessed using Wilcoxon matched pairs signed rank test and found to be significant. These results indicated that coconut oil could provide a reliable, simple and inexpensive means of controlling the disease.