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In May 2016, Jones had a troubling experience that led him to the hospital instead of attending a planned dinner with his wife, Eileen. Feeling unwell, he chose to stay in and later found the pain he was enduring became unbearable. Around midnight, an ambulance was called, and Jones was taken to Nevill Hall hospital, where he received medication that finally alleviated his severe pain, something he says he had never felt before.
Jones spent a total of ten days in the hospital, during which the medical staff quickly suspected he was suffering from hydatid cysts. He recalls that the condition had been fairly common in his local vicinity at the time. He pointed to regional efforts by the Ministry of Agriculture to provide worming treatments to farm dogs, which might have been relevant due to his background as an older sheep farmer. Jones reflected on the broader situation in Breconshire, noting the area’s numerous cases and widespread experience with hydatid cysts.
Following his initial hospital stay, Jones was sent to a specialist in London who is regarded as the leading expert on hydatid cysts. He underwent two separate operations, one in 2018 and another in 2019, to remove cysts from both lungs. He describes this as “swap[ping] two cysts for two scars on the ribs,” though he still carries a cyst on his liver that surgeons have opted not to remove.
Public Health Wales (PHW) acknowledges that while hydatid disease is uncommon in Wales, it remains an important public health issue due to the serious health risks it poses. Dr. Chris Williams, a consultant epidemiologist at PHW, explained that the disease stems from a tapeworm that cycles mainly between farm animals such as sheep and cows and dogs, which excrete the tapeworm eggs. Humans can inadvertently ingest these eggs, often from dogs, leading to the formation of cysts that cause painful swelling and generally require surgical intervention. Dr. Williams also noted that symptoms might not appear until 10 to 20 years after infection, emphasizing the need to tackle the problem early by monitoring infections in dogs and animal carcasses before human cases arise.
Given that the tapeworm is endemic in mid Wales, largely because of extensive sheep farming, research is underway to better understand the transmission dynamics. Dr. Gwenllian Rees of Aberystwyth University is overseeing a study involving the interaction between humans and dogs as well as analyzing fecal samples. According to Dr. Rees, the research aims to determine the current prevalence of the disease in mid Wales, assess the risks to farmers, and clarify how the disease is currently spreading—or not spreading—in the region
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