Grandmother died from rabies after scratch from stray dog, inquest hears

A grandmother died from rabies months after she was scratched by a stray dog on the beach, an inquest has been told.

Yvonne Ford, 59, did not seek treatment after being scratched on a family holiday in Morocco in February last year as the injury was so minor.

Instead she simply wiped the wound with a wet wipe, a hearing in Sheffield heard on Tuesday.

Once back in Britain, family members began to think she was having mental health issues after she started to suffer from a range of symptoms, including severe headaches, nausea, mobility issues and disorientation.

She went to Barnsley Hospital on 2 June and was being assessed on the short stay unit when her condition deteriorated.

As the days passed she also suffered hallucinations and high levels of anxiety.

After four days she was seen by psychiatrist Alexander Burns, who told the inquest her husband said that she had been involved in an incident with a dog while on holiday in Morocco.

Dr Burns said the family told him Mrs Ford had cleaned the wound with the wipe.

He told the inquest he became "concerned that the diagnosis may be rabies" because of the incident with the dog and because she was displaying "various neurological symptoms".

Dr Burns had never before come across anyone with rabies and as he was not fully aware of all the symptoms he decided to research it further.

Rabies can be passed on by dogs and other infected mammals through saliva. This can be through a scratch, if an animal like a dog has licked its paw.

"It became clear that all of Yvonne's symptoms could be explained by that diagnosis," he said.

A jury of nine women and two men heard how rabies is 100% fatal once symptoms begin to show. Symptoms typically begin within four weeks of exposure but can take up to three months to show and, in some cases, can take years.

Since 1946, there have been just 26 cases in the UK.

Mrs Ford was swiftly transferred to an infectious disease unit at Sheffield Royal Hallamshire Hospital where she died on 11 June 2025.

Infectious diseases expert Katharine Cartwright said the illness was "incredibly rare" and Mrs Ford's symptoms were "challenging" for the medics.

"I think the doctors did their best," she said.

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She said it appeared that Mrs Ford began to exhibit symptoms at the end of May and, therefore, there was nothing that could have been done to save her.

"It is so unusual and out [of] everyone's experience," Dr Cartwright added.

"It's not unreasonable for it (rabies) not to have been considered in the first few days."

Rabies can result in peculiar symptoms such as hydrophobia, the fear of water. The inquest heard how Mrs Ford had been unwilling to drink and spitting to get rid of the saliva in her mouth in her final days.

The inquest continues.

(c) Sky News 2026: Grandmother died from rabies after scratch from stray dog, inquest hears