FILE PHOTO: Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro speaks during opening ceremony of the 22th conference of the march in defense of the municipalities, in Brasilia, Brazil April 9, 2019. REUTERS/Adriano Machado/File Photo

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday expressed horror over the 1,000 penis amputations that occur each year in the country including those due to a lack of basic hygiene, a figure he called “ridiculous and sad.”

Speaking with reporters in Brasilia after visiting the Education Ministry, the former army captain despaired at the number and said his government must work with vulnerable men to make them more aware of the dangers of unhygienic behavior.

“In Brazil, we have 1,000 penis amputations a year due to a lack of water and soap,” he said. “We have to find a way to get out of the bottom of this hole.”

Bolsonaro did not specify the source of the number. A spokeswoman for the Brazilian urology society said the figure is based on official data for penis amputations.

The society said the amputations were necessitated by untreatable infections along with cancers and complications from HIV.