Efforts to eradicate the painful and disfiguring mosquito-borne infection lymphatic filariasis are advancing, but it is still rife in 51 countries

For decades, a growth the size of a large melon made Raymondo Okir’s life miserable. Okir, who lives in a village in northern Uganda, first noticed the swelling around his genitalia in 1983. Within a year, the mass had grown large enough that he developed back pain and found it hard to wear trousers and to have sexual relations with his wife.

“Everyone would look and laugh at me and I felt inferior. It grew quickly,” says Okir, 78. “I felt fear. It was hard to dress. I had a lot of back and waist pain and many issues with my wife. Our relationship wasn’t going well. I was scared to go out in public.”