A woman from Yorkshire has died from rabies after contact with a stray dog while on holiday in Morocco, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said.
Yvonne Ford, from Barnsley in South Yorkshire, was diagnosed in Yorkshire and Humber after returning from the north African country in February.
In a Facebook post, Ford’s daughter Robyn Thomson said her mother had become infected after being “scratched very slightly by a puppy”.
“At the time, she did not think any harm would come of it and didn’t think much of it,” Thomson wrote. “Two weeks ago, she became ill, starting with a headache and resulted in her losing her ability to walk, talk, sleep, swallow.”
Thomson, who said her mother died soon afterwards, warned people about the dangers of rabies. “We never thought something like this could happen to someone we love,” she wrote. “Please take animal bites seriously, vaccinate your pets, and educate those around you.”
The UKHSA said there was no risk to the wider public because there was no evidence that rabies could be passed between people. However, as a precautionary measure it was assessing health workers and close contacts to offer vaccination where necessary.
Rabies is a deadly virus spread via the saliva of infected animals, and people usually contract it after being bitten.
Animals such as cows, cats and foxes can carry the virus but, in some countries, stray dogs are the most likely to spread rabies to humans.
Once a person shows signs and symptoms of rabies, the disease is nearly always fatal, but treating a wound immediately after being bitten may prevent death.
The first symptoms can be similar to flu, while later symptoms include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, agitation, anxiety, difficulty swallowing and excessive saliva.
The case is only the seventh time this millennium that a person in the UK has been diagnosed with rabies after exposure to an infected animal. All cases started with the person becoming infected abroad.
In the UK rabies is not found in wild or domestic animals and, aside from cases linked to individuals being bitten by bats, which can carry a rabies-like virus, there has not been a reported case of a person becoming infected in the UK from an animal other than a bat since 1902.
Inflected people may develop fears over such things as swallowing drinks and can experience hallucinations and paralysis.
Dr Katherine Russell, the 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.”
