Surgeons in Pader District have increased hydrocele operations as health officials report a growing number of men seeking treatment. A hydrocele occurs when abdominal fluid fills a sac in the scrotum, causing swelling that may lead to discomfort or pain. Although hydroceles are more common in babies, the condition can appear at any age.
The Ministry of Health, with support from Sightsavers, is running a campaign to reduce complications linked to lymphatic filariasis, a mosquito-borne infection that can cause hydrocele.
Denish Opira Okidi, the district vector control officer and focal person for neglected tropical diseases, said Pader continues to record new cases and urged early reporting. He said 269 suspected cases had been registered, and 254 were confirmed after follow-ups.
Okidi said Sightsavers supported the training of local surgeons to perform the operations safely and free of charge.
Dr. Given Toolit, who leads the surgical team at Pajule Health Centre IV, said the team began operations after receiving specialized training in Gulu. Surgeries are conducted every Tuesday and Friday, with a manageable number of patients scheduled each day to ensure proper monitoring.
Toolit said some men delay seeking care because the condition may not be painful at first, but waiting too long makes treatment more difficult.
One patient, Michael Odwar from Atanga Sub-County, said he lived with discomfort for years. He once sought care at Gulu B but did not proceed because he felt afraid and unsure. He later learned that Pajule Health Centre IV was offering free surgeries and decided to register along with six other men from his area. All seven underwent successful operations. Odwar said he now feels relieved and thanked the health workers for restoring his comfort and confidence.
The district health secretary, Justine Ocen, welcomed the ongoing work and said many more people may still be living with the condition in silence. He urged families not to stigmatize those affected and encouraged men to seek treatment while the services remain available.
Paul Oola Komakech, the district health educator, said misconceptions persist, with some people still believing hydrocele is linked to superstition. He said the condition is caused by filarial infection spread by mosquitoes. Komakech recalled that Pader previously registered hundreds of hydrocele cases, and similar campaigns in northern Uganda’s Lango sub-region have treated over 1,000 patients between 2020 and 2023. He noted that nationwide hydrocele surgery reporting formally began in 2021 under the Ministry of Health’s expanded lymphatic filariasis surveillance programme. The continued appearance of new cases, he said, shows the need for ongoing sensitization and early treatment.
