Overview

• Yvonne Ford, 59, died on June 11 after developing severe rabies symptoms four months following a minor puppy scratch in Morocco and receiving a diagnosis only after transfer to Sheffield’s Royal Hallamshire Hospital.
• Once symptoms such as hydrophobia, hallucinations and paralysis emerge, rabies is nearly always fatal because post-symptom treatment is ineffective.
• The UK Health Security Agency and NHS advise travellers to avoid contact with dogs and other animals in rabies-endemic countries and to seek pre-exposure or immediate post-exposure vaccination after any bite or scratch.
• Robyn Thomson has launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover travel, accommodation and project fees for her October mission with Mission Rabies, where she will help vaccinate dogs, support surveillance and deliver life-saving community education.
• Mission Rabies aims to immunise at least 70 per cent of dog populations in Asia and Africa to establish herd immunity and curb the roughly 59,000 global rabies deaths each year.