Hospital struggled to diagnose Yorkshire woman’s fatal rabies, inquest told

• Grandmother Yvonne Ford died from rabies after being scratched by a stray dog on a beach in Morocco in February 2025, an inquest has heard.
• She did not seek medical treatment for the minor injury at the time, instead cleaning the scratch with a wet wipe.
• Four months later, back home in Yorkshire, Ms Ford developed symptoms including hallucinations, disorientation, and severe anxiety, leading to her admission to Barnsley Hospital.
• A psychiatrist, Dr Alexander Burns, was called after staff on the short stay ward struggled to make a diagnosis; he suspected rabies after Ms Ford's husband revealed the dog scratch.
• Ms Ford was transferred to an infectious disease unit in Sheffield, where she died on 11 June 2025; the inquest is expected to last until Thursday.

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Grandmother’s fatal rabies only diagnosed when psychiatrist intervened, inquest hears