Mid-Wales farmer’s years-long battle with tapeworm-linked cysts raises hydatid disease concerns
An 86-year-old Trecastle farmer, Meredydd Jones, spent years living with hydatid disease caused by the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus, which formed cysts in his lungs (two removed in 2018 and 2019) and a remaining liver cyst. Public Health Wales notes the disease is uncommon but a significant public health concern in mid Wales due to local sheep farming. Experts are studying how the parasite moves from dogs to farm animals to humans, including using GPS trackers on sheepdogs to map transmission and inform prevention efforts.