This is the British woman who has died of rabies after contracting the fatal disease from a scratch by 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.
Robyn Thomson, 32, a neo-natal nurse, paid tribute to her mother known as ‘Bon’ in a heartfelt post. She emphasized the importance of taking even the smallest scratch seriously.
Rabies, transmitted through bites and scratches from infected animals, is typically fatal. Symptoms usually appear within three to 12 weeks, although in some instances, they may develop later.
Taking to Facebook, Ms. Thomson expressed the family’s ongoing struggle to come to terms with the tragic loss. However, they are speaking out in the hopes of raising awareness and preventing similar incidents from occurring.
‘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.’
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.
Yvonne Ford, 59, from Barnsley, contracted the fatal disease in a scratch from a stray puppy in Morocco several months ago
An inquest into her death opened this morning at 9am at Sheffield Coroners’ Court and has since been adjourned
Ms Ford is pictured with her daughter Robyn, who declined to comment at today’s inquest
Grandmother Ms Ford became ill two weeks ago, and steadily deteriorated until her death this week
In humans who have been infected, symptoms of rabies appear one to three months after exposure and rapidly develop into hallucinations, delirium and hydrophobia, or fear of water, closely followed by death
‘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.’
It is understood Ms Ford was diagnosed with the disease at Barnsley Hospital.
An inquest into her death opened this morning at 9am at Sheffield Coroners’ Court, which her daughter attended. It has since been adjourned.
At court Ms Thomson declined to comment but said she was having a ‘horrendous day’.
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 such as Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco and Turkey all carry a high risk of dogs transmitting rabies to people.
Ms Ford’s family described her as ‘strong, loving, and endlessly supportive’ and said they had lost the ‘heart of our family’
Ms Ford gradually deteriorated as her symptoms worsened – soon she was unable to eat, swallow or sleep
Ms Ford’s family paid tribute to her in emotional Facebook posts this week and urged others to take even the smallest grazes seriously
The grandmother, also known as Bon, was scratched by a puppy during the trip but didn’t fall ill until recently
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.
Popular tourist destinations like Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco (pictured) and Turkey all carry a high risk of dogs transmitting rabies to people
Omar Zouhri, 58, of Aylesbury, was bitten by the rabid animal while he was on holiday with his family in August 2018. This is the last photo of him in hospital shortly before he died
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.
