This is the British woman who has died of rabies after contracting the fatal disease in a scratch from a stray puppy in Morocco several months ago.
Grandmother Yvonne Ford, 59, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, became ill two weeks ago and steadily deteriorated until her death this week.
Her daughter, Robyn Thomson, 32, a neo-natal nurse, paid tribute to her mother – known as ‘Bon’ – in a moving post, and urged others to treat even the tiniest scratch with caution.
Rabies – which is passed on through injuries such as bites and scratches from an infected animal – is nearly always fatal. It typically takes between 3 and 12 weeks for symptoms to show but can also take longer in some cases.
Ms Thomson wrote on Facebook: ‘Our family is still processing this unimaginable loss, but we are choosing to speak up in the hope of preventing this from happening to others.
‘Yvonne Ford, Ron Ford’s wife and our Mum, died of rabies. She was scratched very slightly by a puppy in Morocco in February. At the time, she did not think any harm would come of it and didn’t think much of it.
‘Two weeks ago, she became ill, starting with a headache and resulted in her losing her ability to walk, talk, sleep, swallow. Resulting in her passing.’
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) bosses are now racing to get in touch with any close contacts of Ms Ford.
Ms Thomson added: ‘We never thought something like this could happen to someone we love. Please take animal bites seriously, vaccinate your pets, and educate those around you.
‘She was the heart of our family—strong, loving, and endlessly supportive. No words can fully capture the depth of our loss or the impact she had on all of us. We are heartbroken, but also grateful for every moment we had with her. Rest peacefully, Bon. You’ll always be with us.’
There have been less than 10 cases of human rabies associated with animal exposures abroad reported in the UK since 2000.
However, the UKHSA today stressed there was ‘no risk to the wider public’ given there is ‘no documented evidence of rabies passing between people’.
The UK has been rabies-free since 1922, when the last indigenous non-fatal case was recorded, with the exception of rabies-like viruses in some wild bat species.
The last death caused by rabies in a UK animal – other than bats – was in 1902. Dog licensing, euthanasia of stray dog and quarantining were credited with killing off the virus.
Western Europe is now considered low risk for the disease by the World Health Organisation (WHO), while countries in Eastern Europe are listed as ‘moderate risk’ and African and Middle Eastern countries are ‘high risk’.
Popular tourist destinations like Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco and Turkey all carry a high risk of dogs transmitting rabies to people.
Dr Katherine Russell, head of emerging infections and zoonoses, at the UKHSA said: ‘I would like to extend my condolences to this individual’s family at this time.
‘If you are bitten, scratched or licked by an animal in a country where rabies is found then you should wash the wound or site of exposure with plenty of soap and water and seek medical advice without delay in order to get post-exposure treatment to prevent rabies.
‘There is no risk to the wider public in relation to this case.
‘Human cases of rabies are extremely rare in the UK, and worldwide there are no documented instances of direct human to human transmission.’
Once a person begins showing signs and symptoms of rabies, the disease is nearly always fatal.
The first symptoms of rabies can be similar to flu, while later symptoms include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, agitation, anxiety, difficulty swallowing and excessive saliva.
People may develop fears around things like swallowing drinks and can suffer hallucinations and paralysis.
However, it is possible to save a patient who has contracted rabies if they can begin treatment before the virus enters their immune system.
The course of treatment for rabies is four doses of the vaccination for rabies and human rabies immunoglobulin (antibodies) applied over a 21-day period.
According to the UKHSA, people should take immediate action to wash the wound or site of exposure with plenty of soap and water, if they’ve been bitten or scratched by an animal while abroad in a country with rabies.
They should also follow the same advice if an animal has licked their eyes, nose or mouth, or licked a wound they have.
British bats have also been known to carry rabies.
However, as people can only catch rabies by manually handling bats directly, the risk to the public is considered to be low.
But people who have been bitten or scratched by a bat in Britain are still advised to contact their GP urgently or call the NHS on 111 due to the potential risk.
The last recorded rabies death in the UK was in 2018, when Omar Zouhri, a 58-year-old kebab shop worker, was bitten by a cat while visiting family in Mehdya, Morocco.
The same rabid cat is believed to have also bitten a young girl in the area, but she was treated locally for the nip and made a full recovery.
An inquest in Oxford heard that Mr Zouhri had contracted rabies on August 31 2018, but it was not until as late as October 28 that ‘the die was cast’ when he started to report symptoms of ‘furious rabies’.
This included itching, pain and muscle twitches—which showed the virus had already entered his central nervous system, rendering treatment ineffective.
Mr Zouhri, from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, died in hospital in Oxford on November 4, 2018.
