Latest news with #MissionRabies
ITV News
2 days ago
- Health
- ITV News
Family of British woman who died from rabies speak out to warn others
Yvonne Ford's family speak out on ITV's This Morning The family of a woman who died from rabies have revealed how she was sunbathing when she caught the disease following an innocuous scratch. Yvonne Ford, from Barnsley, died in June after suddenly developing symptoms four months after a holiday to Morocco. Appearing on ITV's This Morning, the 59-year-old's husband, Ron, said: "Two days before we came home, we're on the beach outside the hotel, and there were lots of dogs running about everywhere, and there was a puppy actually underneath the sunbed of Yvonne's. "She put her leg down, it startled the dog, and it just scratched her. It didn't bleed, it it didn't really mark her." He said there were no signs of illness for weeks. The couple went to Florida in May and it was only after they returned that the symptoms started. Their daughter, Robyn, said: "My dad and my mum went to York on a little fishing trip in the camper van and on the Saturday, my mum started with a horrendous headache, unbearable headache, to the point where she couldn't sleep at all. "The Monday after that, my dad had taken her to A and E because the headache was so severe. On the Monday she went into hospital walking, talking, doing everything, and come the Friday she couldn't walk, talk, swallow. She had a fear of water, she was horrendously hallucinating beyond what we could even imagine. "She just deteriorated within five days." What is rabies? Rabies is a rare but serious infection that is usually caught from the bite or scratch of an infected animal, such as dogs, bats, raccoons and foxes. In the UK, it is only found in some bats. Although the risk of getting it while travelling is small, rabies is more common in parts of Asia, Africa and Central and South America. Symptoms of rabies usually take three to 12 weeks to appear, but they can appear after a few days or not for several months or years. They include numbness or tingling, hallucinations, acute anxiety, difficulty swallowing or breathing and paralysis. It is almost always fatal once symptoms appear, but vaccination and early treatment can prevent it. Mrs Ford's family are speaking out to warn others about the dangers. Her son Adam said: "We don't want people to go through what we've gone through. Seeing your mum deteriorating like that. We don't want anybody to see that ever again. "So if we can just get the awareness out - just check, check, check, contact your doctor, get the injections. That's all we want, awareness, awareness, awareness." Robyn is volunteering with the charity Mission Rabies, which works to vaccinate dogs in regions across Asia and Africa to help reduce the spread of rabies—a disease that tragically still claims many lives each year. She said: "Since we've put it out on Facebook, to raise awareness, we have had people messages saying that they've been abroad, they've had scratches from cats and dogs and they've then gone to get the vaccine, so I feel like we are doing something, we're making a little bit of a change, and then if we can do that for one family then we've made a difference."
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mirror
'My mum died of rabies – I don't want any other family to endure that hell'
The heartbroken relatives of a grandmother-of-four who died from rabies after being scratched by a puppy on holiday have launched a campaign to prevent it happening to others A British woman who died of rabies after being scratched by a puppy on holiday in Morocco has been described as the "most loving person imaginable". Yvonne Ford tragically lost her life after a scratch on her leg by a stray dog which was lying under her sunbed. It left her suffering "horrendous" headaches and she was admitted to hospital. The 59-year-old, from Barnsley in South Yorkshire, was on holiday with her husband in February when she was scratched and was taken to Barnsley Hospital months after she arrived back in the UK. Yvonne was unable to walk at one point, and couldn't talk, sleep or swallow. The grandmother-of-four began hallucinating and developed a fear of water. She was transferred to Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield where she was eventually diagnosed with the rare but devastating virus and sadly she passed away on June 11. Now, her daughter Robyn Thomson, 32, also from Barnsley, is on a mission to vaccinate dogs against rabies and to save other families from suffering a similar tragedy. Neonatal nurse Robyn said: "[Mum] was the most loving person imaginable. She had the biggest heart. She was my best friend and the most fantastic grandparent to mine and my brother's children. She was a huge animal lover so for her to have died of rabies - it is just particularly horrendous. She will be missed so dearly." Robyn said her mum's death was a huge shock to the whole family, especially as it took so long for her to develop symptoms, before adding: "She and dad were on a holiday in Morocco and they were on a private beach next to the hotel. There was a puppy underneath mum's sunbed and it scratched her leg. "There was no blood and no evidence of the dog being unwell. It was such a mild scratch and it never got infected so we just thought nothing of it at the time. Mum came home and everything was normal. We went to Florida as a family and she went fishing with my dad. "But in June she came down with this horrendous headache. She was in a lot of pain so went to hospital. Soon, she couldn't sleep, she couldn't walk, she couldn't talk. She was hallucinating and had a fear of water. She couldn't swallow. She was choking on her own saliva. So doctors put her in an induced coma. "It wasn't until over a week later that she was diagnosed with rabies. There's only one outcome for rabies once symptoms develop and it's death every time. So we had to turn off her life support." Yvonne's family later found out that it normally takes a few months for rabies symptoms to show, but the deadly disease can incubate for up to two years. Now, Robyn wants to spread awareness for rabies - and help stop it at the source via a charity mission in Cambodia. She is flying out to the southeast Asian country this October to volunteer with Mission Rabies, which is an award-winning charity that leads mass dog vaccination campaigns, rabies surveillance, and vital community education across Asia and Africa. Their goal is to vaccinate at least 70% of the dog population to achieve herd immunity to stop rabies at its source, while also educating children on how to recognise rabid animals and stay safe. To volunteer with Rabies Mission, Robyn needs to raise money to cover the cost of travel, accommodation, and project fees. The mum-of-two has launched a GoFundMe and is appealing for help from the public. She said: "This is something I need to do. If I can save even one life through this work, or spare one family from going through the pain we have experienced, then it will be turning a terrible negative into something positive. "I'm determined to transform my grief into action - helping vaccinate dogs, support surveillance efforts, and deliver life-saving lessons in schools."
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Coimbatore corporation launches Mission Rabies to wipe out the disease
Coimbatore: A census carried out in 2022 claimed that the city municipal corporation has a population of 1.11 lakh stray dogs. Can all the stray dogs in the city be vaccinated for rabies? The city municipal corporation says that its main objective is to carry out mass vaccination of dogs for rabies through 'Mission Rabies'. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Mission Rabies is a global initiative by Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS) focused on eliminating dog-mediated rabies through mass dog vaccination, community education, and rabies surveillance. In India, Mission Rabies has been working since 2013, and Goa has been successfully implementing the project for more than a decade to control rabies. "We used NGOs to conduct the census on the stray dog population in all five zones in the corporation, and the census showed that the city has 1.11 lakh stray dogs. It is a huge population. We have decided to implement the Mission Rabies initiative. We started the initiative at Race Course two months ago. Our aim is to cover all the stray dogs by conducting a mass dog vaccination programme," city corporation commissioner M Sivaguru Prabakaran said. The city corporation plans to launch a hotline exclusively to report rabies-related cases if the public suspects that stray dogs or pet dogs are infected with rabies. Based on the information, mapping will be carried out by a team. "After completing the mass dog vaccination for stray dogs in the five zones of the municipal corporation, we are planning door-to-door vaccination for pet animals, including dogs and cats, to prevent rabies," Sivaguru Prabakaran said. To control the population of stray dogs, the corporation has been implementing sterilisation at the four Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres located at Ukkadam, Ondipudur, Seeranaickenpalayam, and Vellalore. "We believe that through sterilisation, the stray dogs' population can be reduced drastically in the future. So, we are planning to open three more ABC centres in the city," he added. The corporation also claimed that approximately 25,000 stray dogs were sterilised out of 1.11 lakh stray dogs since 2023.
Time of India
27-04-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Survey reveals alarming rabies ignorance in Goa's slums
Panaji: In Goa's most vulnerable communities, alarming gaps in awareness about rabies and dog bite prevention persist, despite the noticeable rise in stray dog attacks across the state. A group of 62 students from the Goa Institute of Management (GIM), as part of their Service Learning and Rural Immersion (SLRI) programme, in partnership with Mission Rabies , conducted a study and awareness campaign among high-risk populations— slum dwellers, construction workers, postmen, electricity meter readers, and beach guards. 'The respondents were unsure how to identify or respond to rabid dogs. Initially, most respondents struggled to recognise rabies symptoms in dogs ,' their analysis report reads. The primary role of GIM students was to assist education officers from Mission Rabies in collecting and analysing data through structured pre- and post-intervention surveys. The team surveyed 166 individuals across four slum areas—Mapusa, Panaji, Vasco da Gama, and Baina beach. Before their intervention, over 53% of respondents had no idea how the rabies virus spreads. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Kepulauan Bangka Belitung: AI guru Andrew Ng recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Aroun... Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo According to the survey, many residents, particularly in slums and among daily-wage workers, remained unaware of how to respond to a dog bite—often resorting to unsafe practices like running or throwing objects. Post-training, this changed dramatically. A stunning 94.6% could correctly identify transmission methods, including bites, scratches, and licks on open wounds. 'After training, they became more aware of the key signs like excessive drooling, extreme aggression, and unsteady movement, enabling them to respond appropriately. They understood the risks, recognised warning signs, and became aware of the need to report cases to local authorities or Mission Rabies,' the report reads. 'Post-training, most respondents became aware of the correct ways to protect themselves and learned safer behaviours like standing still, washing wounds with soap and water immediately after a bite, ensuring better first aid,' the report reads. It further states that 'this shift is crucial' because early identification of rabies symptoms 'can save lives.' 'With better knowledge, people can now act quickly—seeking medical help, reporting cases, and avoiding risky contact. By continuing to spread awareness, we can reduce misinformation, prevent rabies infections, and protect both humans and animals in the future,' the report reads.
Time of India
22-04-2025
- Time of India
Goa targets 100% sterilisation of strays: Halarnkar
Panaji: In the wake of two recent and alarming stray dog attacks in the state, both involving children, Nilkanth Halarnkar , the minister for animal husbandry and veterinary services, has assured that govt is 'working on a war footing' to tackle the issue. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'We are targeting 100% sterilisation of the stray dogs in the state,' Halarnkar told TOI . He outlined the ongoing efforts to sterilise stray dogs, stating that a dedicated team is actively working in different parts of the state to control the stray dog population. The state has roughly 56,000 stray dogs. 'We already covered Bardez and Margao, and for the past 10 to 15 days, the team focused on the coastal belt,' he said. He also highlighted some of the challenges faced in addressing the stray dog population. 'We cannot change the location of stray dogs because they are territorial. Additionally, we are not allowed to keep them in common shelter homes or cages,' he said. Halarnkar also acknowledged the role of local NGOs in supporting sterilisation efforts but stressed the need for greater public cooperation. 'The NGOs are doing their best along with Mission Rabies, but we now need the support of the public. The dog feeders need to be more responsible, and I am advising them against feeding stray dogs anywhere,' he said. He also called on pet dog owners to notify the animal husbandry department about their pets so govt can maintain a proper register of all dogs in the state. Halarnkar's remarks come after two incidents that raised concerns over public safety. Last week, a toddler was mauled by stray dogs in Ponda who succumbed to her injuries, and earlier this week, a Russian child was attacked by stray dogs at Betalbatim beach.
