Family of Yvonne Ford killed by rabies share video of her dancing before she was struck down

A British mum who died of rabies weeks after being scratched by a dog on holiday was dancing and carefree just a fortnight before her death.

Yvonne Ford, from Barnsley in South Yorkshire, started feeling ill a couple of weeks ago.

The 59-year-old had been scratched by a dog during a family holiday in Morocco in February – but nobody thought anything of it until she started showing symptoms earlier this month.

Yvonne’s family have shared a warning about the dangers of rabies, and shared a heartbreaking video of her dancing only a short time before she started showing symptoms to demonstrate just how quickly the virus took hold.

The clip, filmed less than two weeks before Yvonne’s death, shows her dancing around an umbrella surrounded by younger relatives, throwing her hands in the air and smiling.

She was showing absolutely no signs that she was carrying the virus, which can take up to 12 weeks to start showing symptoms.

Her daughter Robyn Thompson, 32, shared the video on social media and added: ‘We never thought something like this could happen to someone we love. Please take animal bites seriously, vaccinate your pets and educate those around you.’

Recalling the moment her mum was scratched by a dog, she added: ‘At the time, she did not think any harm would come of it and didn’t think much of it.

‘Two weeks ago, she became ill, starting with a headache and resulted in her losing her ability to walk, talk, sleep, swallow.

‘Mum was the heart of our family – strong, loving and endlessly supportive.

‘No words can fully capture the depth of our loss or the impact she had on all of us.’

What does rabies do?

Initial symptoms can include anxiety, headaches and fever

• There may be hallucinations and respiratory failure if it develops

• Spasms of the muscles used for swallowing make it difficult for the patient to drink

• The incubation period between being infected and showing symptoms is between three and 12 weeks

• If you are bitten, scratched or licked by an animal you must wash the wound or site of exposure with plenty of soap and water and seek medical advice without delay

• Once symptoms have developed, rabies is almost always fatal

• Before symptoms develop, rabies can be treated with a course of vaccine – this is ‘extremely effective’ when given promptly after a bite – along with rabies immunoglobulin if required

• Every year, more than 15million people worldwide receive a post-bite vaccination and this is estimated to prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths

• Pre-exposure immunisation is recommended for people in certain high-risk occupations and for travellers to rabies-affected, remote areas

• But effective treatment for rabies is not readily available to those in need

UKHSA/World Health Organisation

The UK Health Security Agency says it’s assessing anyone who came into contact with Yvonne since she returned from Morocco.

They say there is no risk to the wider public.

Dr Katherine Russell said: ‘If you are bitten, scratched or licked by an animal in a country where rabies is found then you should wash the wound or site of exposure with plenty of soap and water and seek medical advice without delay in order to get post-exposure treatment to prevent rabies.’

Rabies, which is fatal in almost all cases, causes tens of thousands of deaths every year, mostly in Asia and Africa, according to the World Health Organisation, and dogs are responsible for 99% of cases.

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