Grandma died from rabies after stray dog scratch

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.

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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 yesterday.

An expert told a jury 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.