British tourist dies after being 'scratched' by a pup in Morocco: How common are rabies deaths today?

What began as a relaxing holiday to Morocco turned into a heartbreaking tragedy for 59-year-old Yvonne Ford from Barnsley, South Yorkshire.

While exploring the country in February this year, Yvonne was lightly scratched by a stray puppy. It seemed minor; in fact, she didn’t even seek any medical treatment for it.

Months passed. Then, in June, Ford began feeling unwell. Her family said two weeks ago she had developed a headache. But her condition quickly worsened—she lost her ability to “walk, talk, sleep, swallow”.

Yvonne was initially taken to Barnsley Hospital, where doctors confirmed she had rabies. She was later transferred to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, according to reports by the BBC. Despite efforts to treat her, she passed away on June 11. An inquest into her death has since been opened in Sheffield.

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In a heartfelt post on Facebook, her daughter, Robyn Thomson, wrote, “We are still processing this unimaginable loss, but we are choosing to speak up in the hope of preventing this from happening to others.”

Yvonne’s case is believed to be only the seventh incident of a UK resident contracting rabies abroad since 2000. It’s a chilling reminder that this deadly virus, often assumed to be a disease of the past in the West, still exists.

Here’s what we know about it

What is rabies?

Rabies is a deadly viral disease that affects the central nervous system and, once symptoms begin, is almost always fatal.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it’s a zoonotic virus, meaning it spreads from animals to humans, and is most commonly transmitted through the bite of an infected mammal, usually dogs. The virus is particularly present in the saliva and brain of infected animals.

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What are the symptoms of rabies?

The time it takes for symptoms to appear can vary widely. In most cases, they develop between three to twelve weeks after exposure. But sometimes, symptoms can show up within a few days—or remain hidden for several months, even years.

One of the first signs is often a tingling or numb feeling near the bite or scratch. As the infection spreads, more severe symptoms can follow, such as hallucinations, extreme anxiety or restlessness, difficulty swallowing or breathing, and eventual paralysis.

Rabies typically shows up in one of two forms. In the “furious” form, a person may become agitated, aggressive, or sensitive to sound, light, and air. Many also develop hydrophobia—a fear of water—or aerophobia, a fear of air movement. In the “paralytic” form, the body gradually shuts down as the muscles weaken and lose function.

According to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), once clinical symptoms of rabies appear, the disease is “virtually 100 per cent fatal.” However, they note that post-exposure treatment is “very effective” at preventing the disease, if it’s given quickly after contact with the virus.

The course of treatment for rabies is four doses of the vaccination for rabies and human rabies immunoglobulin (antibodies) applied over a 21-day period.

How common is rabies?

Although rabies has been nearly eliminated in many developed countries, it still claims tens of thousands of lives around the world every year.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 59,000 people die from rabies annually, with the vast majority of these deaths occurring in Asia and Africa. Due to underreporting in many regions, some studies suggest that the actual number of deaths could range anywhere from 20,000 to as high as 175,000.

India continues to bear one of the highest rabies burdens globally. According to the National Centre for Disease Control, around 20,000 people die from rabies in India every year, making up roughly 36 per cent of the global death toll.

Children under the age of 15 are particularly vulnerable, accounting for around 40 per cent of these deaths, as noted by the WHO.

Most rabies cases are caused by animal bites, especially from dogs. The National Crime Records Bureau data shows there were 4,146 reported cases of dog bites leading to human deaths in the country in 2019. A separate study shows that the country witnessed over 1.5 crore dog bite cases since 2019.

In stark contrast, developed countries such as the UK, the US, Canada, Japan, and Australia have managed to succeed in virtually eliminating rabies in pets. Thanks to their widespread pet vaccination programmes, strict quarantine regulations, and effective animal control systems.

The World Health Organization now considers Western Europe and these countries to be at low risk for rabies. However, some countries in Eastern Europe are still classified as moderate risk.

That said, many popular travel destinations, including Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, and Turkey, are still considered high-risk areas for rabies transmission from dogs. For travellers heading to these regions, awareness and caution remain crucial.

With input from agencies