A BRITISH grandmother has died after contracting rabies from a stray puppy in Morocco.
She died in Yorkshire, after developing symptoms months after her visit to the North African country.
A British grandmother has died after petting a stray dog (stock)[/caption]
Yvonne only developed symptoms months after her visit[/caption]
Tributes to the mum have flooded in[/caption]
Yvonne Ford travelled to Morocco in February, where she was scratched by a dog.
Thinking nothing of her injury, she returned home before falling ill in June.
Yvonne as diagnosed at Barnsley Hospital, after she began to lose the ability to “talk” and “swallow” – which led to her death.
Opening up about Yvonne’s tragic death, Robyn Thomson – her daughter – took to social media to break the news.
She wrote: “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.
“She was scratched very slightly by a puppy in Morocco in February,” she said. “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.”
After her death, tributes to Yvonne poured in and a video of her dancing – just two weeks before her death – has surfaced.
In the video, the grandmother can be seen dancing with two children at an outdoor family event.
Robyn captioned the post with “just under two weeks before we lost mum”.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed that anyone who came into contact with Yvonne has been offered a vaccination.
The agency said: “There is no risk to the wider public in relation to this case as there is no documented evidence of rabies passing between people.
“However, as a precautionary measure, health workers and close contacts are being assessed and offered vaccination when necessary.
“Rabies is passed on through injuries such as bites and scratches from an infected animal.
“It is nearly always fatal, but post-exposure treatment is very effective at preventing disease if given promptly after exposure to the virus.”
The UKHSA is reminding travellers to be careful around animals when travelling to rabies affected countries due to the risk of catching the disease.
Dr Katherine Russell, Head of Emerging Infections and Zoonoses at 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.”
Rabies does not circulate in either wild or domestic animals in the UK, although some species of bats can carry a rabies-like virus.
No human cases of rabies acquired in the UK from animals other than bats have been reported since 1902.
Between 2000 and 2024 there were six cases of human rabies associated with animal exposures abroad reported in the UK.
What rabies does to the body and how it’s treated
Rabies is known as a deadly virus that is typically spread through a bite or scratch from an infected animal.
The infection is common worldwide but is predominantly found in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America.
Some of the animals that are most likely to spread the disease are dogs, bats, foxes, skunks and raccoons.
Symptoms
After a bite or other rabies exposure, the virus can take weeks or months to start causing symptoms.
This timeframe is what doctors call the incubation period in which the virus is travelling through the body and to the brain.
Some of the most common symptoms of rabies include:
- Fever
- Headache
- Excess salivation
- Muscle spasms
- paralysis
- mental confusion
The World Health Organization describes two main manifestations of the disease: furious rabies and paralytic rabies.
People or animals with furious rabies may appear agitated, become aggressive, and drool excessively, while other symptoms include hyperactivity, fear of water, and even fear of fresh air.
The symptoms of paralytic rabies, on the other hand, are more understated—typically causing gradual paralysis as a patient remains calm and lucid.
Treatment
If you’ve been bitten or scratched by an animal in an area with a risk of rabies you should immediately clean the wound with running water and soap for several minutes.
After this, you must disinfect the wound with an alcohol- or iodine-based disinfectant and apply a simple dressing.
After the wound is addressed, you should see a doctor as soon as possible and they will determine if you need a rabies vaccination or not.
Post-exposure treatment is nearly 100 per cent effective if it’s started before any symptoms of rabies appear.
Some cases will require immunoglobulin, which is administered into and around the wound.
This provides short-term protection if there is a significant chance of infection in the wound.
Treatment should ideally begin within a few hours of being bitten, but can be delayed up to 24 hours if needed.
