Men saved from sex organ disease

Timely intervention has given a new lease of life to thousands of men in Coast Province who have been walking in the shadow of a debilitating disease targeting male sex organs.

Lymphatic filariasis, a parasitic disease that causes the scrotum to swell enormously, has been a nightmare for men in Kwale, Mombasa, Malindi, Kilifi, Kaloleni, Tana River and Lamu districts.

But even as the disease continues to stalk thousands, a joint initiative by the government, World Health Organisation and MAP International has offered surgical procedures that have eliminated the grotesque condition.

For 53-year-old Kadzitu Kambi, of Kinarani village in Kaloleni District, things changed for the worse when a small itchy spot on his scrotum slowly but painfully developed into a gross swelling.

Walking became a problem for the father of three, who was once energetic and active. It was also difficult for him to do the tasks he used to perform to earn a living for the family.

Although he had seen this condition in other men in the area, where it is estimated that more than 40,000 people suffer from lymphatic filariasis infection, it never occurred to him that he would be included in the statistics.

“The gross swelling on my private part gave me psychological trauma. I used to be teased and ridiculed. I am a football player but became a mere spectator due to the ugly swelling,” he said.

His wife put up with the situation before the operation that restored his normal being.

Told to leave him

“I was told to leave him and get married to another man but I chose to stick with him because when my husband married me he was normal. I chose to suffer in silence with him until help came from an organisation that conducted successful operations,” said Mr Kambi’s wife.

The wife of another patient, Mr Safari Mudzomba, said: “I was always ashamed and uncomfortable walking with him because he could not wear trousers due to the swelling. This frustrated me so much and could not stand the ridicule.”

The condition also affected the productivity of Mr Muhambi Nditwa, a 50-year-old labourer who used to harvest sand near River Nzovuni.

“I used to be very active but with the progression of the disease I could not move swiftly as I used to. Finally, my productivity decreased. I could not work as hard as before and, as a result, my income declined, contributing to my poverty,” he said.

Commenting on the disease, the MAP International country director, Dr Julius Kavuludi, said: “Because of its prevalence, often in rural areas, lymphatic filariasis is primarily a disease of the poor. It has steadily increased due to poverty. As many patients are physically incapacitated, it prevents them from having a normal working life.”

MAP International has organised surgical operations for those with the condition in a campaign called ‘Operation Restore Hope’.

Today Mr Kambi, Mr Mudzomba and Mr Nditwa, who are among the 130 beneficiaries of the surgeries in the last two years, are telling a different story of hope.

“We now have high hopes to pick up once again and move on to fend for our families,” they said.

Cannot afford treatment

According to Mr Safari Ngowa, the programme manager of MAP International, most of the patients operated on had been living with the condition for more than 15 years and could not afford the treatment. One operation costs about Sh20,000.

MAP International chief executive officer Michael Nyenhuis said: “It is gratifying to see a person who was helpless some few years ago now able to take his tools and get back to work and earn a living instead of being an object of pity and ridicule.”

“The 130 people who have been successfully operated on are a living example of what good health can transform lives of a people who can access basic needs such as food, clothing, education and shelter,” he added.