Yvonne Ford, 59, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, was scratched by a dog in Morocco in February 2025. She died of rabies in June 2025 after doctors struggled to diagnose her rare symptoms
A Brit grandmother who tragically died from rabies was not diagnosed until four months after she was scratched by a dog in Morocco, an inquest heard today (Tuesday, March 3).
Yvonne Ford, 59, had sought medical attention at hospitals in Barnsley and Wakefield multiple times due to an insect bite above her ankle, but it wasn’t until she was referred to a mental health team at Barnsley Hospital in June that she was diagnosed with rabies, Sheffield Coroners’ Court was informed.
However, a rabies specialist stated that doctors at Barnsley Hospital “were on the right track” as they grappled with identifying Yvonne’s unusual symptoms.
The Barnsley grandmother was scratched by a stray dog in Morocco after she startled it whilst getting up from a sunbed. The dog scratched her leg, but the family didn’t think much of the injury, merely cleaning it with a wet wipe and not seeking any further treatment.
Yvonne, who leaves behind two children and four grandchildren, passed away at Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, assistant coroner Marilyn Whittle told the jury of nine women and three men.
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The inquest learned that Yvonne was admitted to Barnsley Hospital on June 2 following several medical appointments in March and April. She was experiencing “severe headaches” and a variety of other symptoms, including poor mobility, difficulty drinking, hallucinations, anxiety, disorientation and extreme agitation, reports Yorkshire Live.
Medics at Barnsley Hospital were unable to reach a diagnosis, the jury heard. Junior doctor Dr Awan explained: “In view of her current symptoms, we were still trying to find the organic cause. At the moment when we asked about travel history, it was made known that there were some insect bites above the ankle. We were investigating some kind of tick bite encephalitis.
“We were still trying to find if it was neurological or if there was any other cause. There was unexplained anxiety. For the nausea, we weren’t too sure. For the dehydration, there was no working diagnosis. Essentially, there was no working diagnosis at this point.”
On June 6, she was referred to the mental health liaison unit at Barnsley Hospital. Psychiatrist Dr Alex Burns examined Yvonne and acknowledged he had worries about an infectious disease triggering her hallucinations, agitation and anxiety.
Dr Burns stated: “I had asked about travel, and I had asked about insect bites. It was very unclear what the diagnosis was. I wanted to think a bit more outside the box and think about rare conditions, including travel-related ones.”
Yvonne’s husband told Dr Burns they had journeyed to Morocco in February. He informed Dr Burns Yvonne was scratched by a dog on a beach after she alarmed it by rising from a sunbed.
Dr Burns continued: “I didn’t know all of the symptoms of rabies at that point, but after I spoke to Yvonne’s husband, I did speak to the medical team in the office, and that was to discuss what I had found out so far. At that point, because my knowledge of rabies was limited, I did look into it more regarding the symptoms, and it became clear that all of Yvonne’s symptoms could be explained by that diagnosis at that point.”
Yvonne’s daughter, Robyn Thomson, told Dr Burns: “We see you as a turning point into mum’s care, and we thank you for that.”
Rabies specialist Dr Katharine Cartwright, consultant physician at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, stood by the medical care Yvonne received. “This was a rare presentation of something rare. This was incredibly rare,” she stated.
“A rabies diagnosis is so unusual, so out of everyone’s experience, I think it’s not unreasonable for it not to have been considered within a few days. Half of the American rabies diagnoses were made post-mortem. The fact we got a diagnosis of rabies before Yvonne died is good.”
Dr Cartwright revealed that there had only been 26 documented rabies cases in the UK since 1946. Once bitten or scratched, rabies has a near-100 per cent mortality rate, she explained, adding: “Once the symptoms start, death within a couple of weeks is the norm. That means the virus has started to replicate in the brain, and it’s not salvageable from that point.”
Dr Cartwright stated there was “no way to say when the virus reached her spinal cord”, beyond which point no medical intervention was possible.
She confirmed the cause of death was 1a rabies encephalitis.
The inquest continues.
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