Home / Health / UK Mum Dies of Rabies After Morocco Puppy Scratch
UK Mum Dies of Rabies After Morocco Puppy Scratch
3 Mar
Summary
- A British mother died from rabies after a minor scratch from a stray puppy.
- She was not diagnosed until four months later when symptoms emerged.
- Rabies is 100% fatal once symptoms appear but is preventable with vaccines.
A British woman succumbed to rabies months after a seemingly minor incident on a family holiday. Yvonne Ford, 59, was scratched by a stray puppy on a beach in Morocco in February 2025. She cleaned the wound with a wet wipe and did not seek immediate medical treatment.
Months later, in June 2025, Yvonne was admitted to Barnsley Hospital with severe headaches, nausea, mobility issues, disorientation, hallucinations, and high anxiety. Psychiatrists initially suspected a mental health cause or Lyme disease, unaware of the puppy bite.
Upon learning of the Morocco incident, a psychiatrist recognized the potential for rabies. Yvonne was transferred to Sheffield Royal Hallamshire Hospital's infectious disease unit, where she died on June 11, 2025. Experts stated that rabies is 100% fatal once symptoms appear but highly preventable with vaccines administered post-exposure before symptoms begin.
Infectious diseases specialists noted that while symptoms typically appear within weeks, they can take months or even years. Yvonne's case was unusual, exhibiting symptoms of both encephalitic and flaccid rabies, including a mild form of hydrophobia, making diagnosis challenging.
