Grandmother Yvonne Ford, 59, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, became ill two weeks ago and steadily deteriorated until her death this week. Her daughter, Robyn Thomson (pictured bottom right), 32, a neo-natal nurse, paid tribute to her mother-known as ‘Bon’-in a moving post, and urged others to treat even the tiniest scratch with caution. Rabies, which is passed on through injuries such as bites and scratches from an infected animal, is nearly always fatal. After an infection, the symptoms can take up to a year to appear. But when the symptoms do appear, the disease is a swift and brutal killer. Most patients die in a few days.
