Nigeria can celebrate life-changing progress on scrotum-swelling disease

Folalumi Alaran in Abuja

On World Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Day, 30 January, Nigeria can proudly celebrate the huge progress it is making in eliminating these disabling and life-threatening conditions. These include lymphatic filariasis (LF) a disease which makes people’s body parts swell painfully. In arms and legs this is called lymphoedema or elephantiasis, in men’s scrotum it is known as hydrocele – both can lead to stigma and cost the ability to work, farm and live independently.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) around 110 million people in Nigeria remain at risk of LF. It’s estimated that 10-15% of these are men are living with hydrocele. Although there is no cure for elephantiasis, it can be improved with the right care. Hydrocele can be treated with an operation.

The international non-governmental organisation, Sightsavers, is supporting the Ministry of Health to eliminate LF, with funding from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). This includes using community-wide drug campaigns to break transmission, training health workers and patients to manage lymphedema, teaching surgeons the proper technique for hydrocele operations and providing these operations free of charge.

Since the programme began in 2024, 96 surgeons have been trained and 3,343 men have had the life-changing operation. The program has also trained 1,737 patients and caregivers on lymphoedema management. For World NTD Day Sightsavers is sharing just a few of their stories.

• For 20 long years Samaila Musa, a 55 year-old farmer from Kaduna State, lived with the pain and stigma of hydrocele. Ashamed of his appearance he avoided public gatherings and withdrew from community life. Desperate for relief he turned to a local, unqualified, practitioner whose so-called ‘surgery’ left him with serious complications and with his life at risk. Unlike most hydrocele operations, which take between 30-45 minutes, the highly trained surgeons worked carefully for over three hours to clean, repair and restore the life-threatening damage. “I didn’t care about the risks anymore, I just wanted this thing out of my life. Sightsavers gave me hope and freedom. Now, I can live like everyone else again.”
• Bem Bajah, a retired lecturer aged 65, from Benue state, had recently developed hydrocele in both testes and heard about the surgery from his younger brother Bajah Terfa Robert. “It pains me, so I don’t make love often, even the size alone has made me very uncomfortable.”
• Bajah Terfa Robert, his 56 year old public servant brother from Makurdi, had also only noticed his hydrocele in the last two years and although he didn’t experience pain, he admitted that he was embarrassed: “I cannot wear shirts and trousers because of the size; I normally wear traditional dresses,” and observed that “[It] just keeps growing.” Like his brother he was glad to be selected for the operation: “I’m very happy. So happy about it. And I thank God for this solution,” said Terfa Robert.
• For Sanusi Aliyu, a 45-year-old farmer from Kebbi State, hydrocele affected his comfort, confidence, and productivity. He worried about his health and his ability to support his family but until now the cost of surgery was beyond his reach. “I never imagined a day like this would come.”
• 65-year-old Abdulrafiu Sani, from Kaduna stat, lived in silent torment with bilateral (both sides) hydrocele. The constant embarrassment he felt made him avoid social functions and his marriage became strained. After successful surgery, he said he felt reborn. “Sightsavers gave me back my life. I can live like a normal man again”.
  Cynthia Rowe, Head of Development Cooperation at the British High Commission Abuja, said: “Neglected tropical diseases like lymphatic filariasis steal people’s health, dignity and livelihoods, yet they are preventable and treatable. Through our partnership with the Government of Nigeria and organisations such as Sightsavers, the UK is supporting the country’s efforts to deliver lifechanging care for thousands of people. On World NTD Day, we recognise the men who have endured years of pain and stigma, and we celebrate the progress being made to restore their health, dignity and ability to provide for their families.”

Prof. Joy Shuaibu, Country Director at Sightsavers, said:
“These stories show why the fight against NTDs must remain a national and global priority.
“It’s not just physical suffering. These diseases take away people’s dignity, livelihoods, and opportunity. Through strong partnerships we are restoring health, rebuilding confidence, and giving people the chance to live full, productive lives. This is what progress against NTDs looks like.”
Sightsavers continues to work closely with government institutions, international partners, and local communities to eliminate NTDs across the country. By strengthening health systems, supporting safe surgical care, and integrating NTD interventions into broader health programmes, it is contributing to a future where preventable and treatable diseases no longer trap people in poverty and exclusion.