Doctors treating a 38-year-old man in the UK were astonished to discover a tapeworm measuring 6.3 metres after he was admitted to hospital with stomach pain and vomiting. The patient had also lost around 5-10kg in weight and complained of feeling weak.
Tapeworm infections are rare in the UK and often cause few or no symptoms. Common signs include stomach pain, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite or increased appetite, and weight loss. In severe cases, the worms can spread to other organs and form cysts, potentially causing serious complications.
The NHS states that tapeworms can usually be treated with a single tablet of prescription medicine such as niclosamide or praziquantel. After treatment, patients are advised to wash hands regularly to prevent reinfection, and a stool sample is checked after a few months to confirm the worm has been eliminated.
To prevent tapeworm infections, the NHS recommends avoiding raw or undercooked pork, beef, or freshwater fish, cooking meat and fish thoroughly, washing vegetables and fruit, and practising good hand hygiene. Travellers should only drink clean water.
