- A 59-year-old British woman died of rabies after a puppy scratch in Morocco
- Yvonne Ford became ill weeks after the scratch, showing neurological symptoms
- She was diagnosed in the UK and died on 11 June after hospital treatment
A 59-year-old British woman has died of rabies after getting "scratched" by a stray puppy in Morocco, the BBC reported. Yvonne Ford, from South Yorkshire, died on June 11. In a Facebook post, her daughter, Robyn Thomson, wrote that her mother was "scratched very slightly" by a puppy in Morocco in February. "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," she said.
Ms Thomson said the family "is still processing this unimaginable loss". She shared information about rabies, and urged people to "please take animal bites seriously". "We never thought something like this could happen to someone we love ... vaccinate your pets, and educate those around you," she concluded.
According to the BBC, Yvonne Ford was diagnosed at Barnsley Hospital after returning to the UK and was later transferred to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield. She died on 11 June. An investigation into her is ongoing, the outlet reported.
Rabies is a deadly virus that's nearly always spread to humans from contact with a sickened animal. It is advised to seek medical treatment immediately after any contact with a wild animal. Once symptoms begin to show, the condition is usually fatal.
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Symptoms include numbness or tingling where you were bitten or scratched, hallucinations, feeling very anxious or energetic, difficulty swallowing or breathing and paralysis. Symptoms of rabies usually take three to 12 weeks to appear, but they can also appear after a few days or not for several months or years, per the outlet.
For Mrs Ford, her symptoms took months to show up. In her Facebook post, Ms Thomson wrote that her mother was scratched in February and "two weeks ago she became ill". "At the time, she did not think any harm would come of it and didn't think much of it," she said, adding that her mother's symptoms began "with a headache and resulted in her losing her ability to walk, talk, sleep, swallow. Resulting in her passing."
Rabies is a virus that causes an infection of the brain and nervous system in humans.
