A 59-year-old British woman died from rabies after being scratched by a stray puppy while on holiday in Morocco, prompting renewed warnings from UK authorities about the deadly virus. Yvonne Ford, a grandmother of four from Barnsley, was unknowingly infected in February when a puppy hiding under her sunbed scratched her arm.
Her daughter, Robyn Thomson, said the wound seemed so minor at the time that the family “thought nothing of it.”
“There was no blood and no evidence of the dog being unwell,” Ms Thomson explained. “It was such a mild scratch. Mum came home, life went on as normal, we even went on a family trip to Florida.”
Four months later, Ms Ford developed a severe headache that rapidly escalated into classic rabies symptoms: hallucinations, difficulty swallowing, choking on saliva, and an intense fear of water. She soon became unable to talk, walk, or sleep.
Doctors at Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield eventually diagnosed rabies, a disease that, once symptomatic, is almost universally fatal. Ms Ford was placed in an induced coma and died on June 11.
“There’s only one outcome for rabies once symptoms develop, and it’s death every time,” Ms Thomson said.
“We had to turn off her life support. It’s horrendous.”
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Foreign Office are reminding holidaymakers to exercise extreme caution around animals overseas.
In its official guidance, the Foreign Office said: “This information is only intended for people who have been bitten, scratched or licked on broken skin or mucous membranes by an animal abroad in an area where rabies is present.
“Rabies is a rare but very serious infection of the brain and nerves. It is almost always fatal once symptoms appear and is spread by contact with saliva from an infected wild or domestic animal, usually through a bite, scratch or lick to broken skin.”
Rabies is prevalent across Asia, Africa, and parts of Central and South America. Dogs cause most infections, but cats, monkeys, and bats can also transmit the virus.
The Foreign Office advises travellers to avoid all contact with animals, consider pre-exposure vaccines before visiting affected countries, and seek immediate medical attention if bitten or scratched.
Rabies can incubate for months, or even up to two years, before symptoms appear.
“Mum was a huge animal lover,” Ms Thomson said. “For her to have died of rabies makes it even harder to accept.”
Determined to turn her grief into action, Ms Thomson will travel to Cambodia in October to volunteer with Mission Rabies, a charity that runs mass dog vaccination campaigns and educates communities to prevent future deaths.
“If I can save even one life, or spare one family from this pain, then something positive will come from our loss,” she said.