Grandmother died from rabies months after dog scratch in Morocco, inquest told
A grandmother who died from rabies four months after she was scratched by a stray dog in Morocco was only diagnosed after a psychiatrist was called in to assess her deteriorating symptoms, an inquest jury has been told.
Yvonne Ford, 59, was scratched after she startled the animal on a beach during a family holiday in February 2025 but did not seek treatment as it was so minor and cleaned the wound with a wet wipe, a hearing in Sheffield heard on Tuesday.
An expert told a jury of nine women and two men how rabies is 100% fatal once symptoms begin to show, but there have only been 26 cases in the UK since 1946.
The inquest heard how rabies was only diagnosed after Mrs Ford was referred to the mental health team at Barnsley Hospital in June 2025 and a psychiatrist asked her family about her travel history.
Psychiatrist Alexander Burns told the inquest how he was called to assess Mrs Ford, who was on the short stay ward at the hospital, because colleagues on that unit had been struggling to diagnose what was wrong with her and were concerned her symptoms – including hallucinations, disorientation and high levels of anxiety – could have a mental health cause.
Dr Burns said he first asked about foreign travel because he suspected Lyme disease, which is caused by tick bites.
He said Mrs Ford’s family told him she had recently been to Florida but had not been bitten.
Dr Burns said: “I was informed by her husband that, on February 10 2025, Yvonne was bitten by a stray dog on a beach in Morocco whilst on holiday.
“The bite had pierced her skin. The short stay unit medical team were not previously aware of that information.”
Dr Burns said the family told him Mrs Ford had cleaned the wound from the dog with a wet wipe.
He told the inquest he became “concerned that the diagnosis may be rabies, in the context of the stray dog bite in Morocco and the various neurological symptoms”.
The psychiatrist said he had never come across anyone with rabies before and said he did know all the symptoms so he decided to research it further.
He said: “It became clear that all of Yvonne’s symptoms could be explained by that diagnosis.”
The inquest heard how Mrs Ford was transferred to an infectious disease unit at Sheffield Royal Hallamshire Hospital where she died on June 11 2025.
Infectious diseases expert Katharine Cartwright, from Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, told the jury how rabies is a virus that is 100% fatal once the symptoms begin to show.
But she said the vaccine is extremely effective and this has eliminated the virus from the UK.
Dr Cartwright said post-exposure administration of the vaccine can help in some circumstances before the symptoms begin.
She said there have only been 26 cases of rabies in the UK since 1946.