Rabies vaccines see surge in demand following tragic death of British gran

The tragic death of a British gran from rabies has sparked a surge in travellers seeking advice about vaccinations.

Yvonne Ford 59, from Barnsley, died in hospital in Sheffield on 11 June after being scratched by the stray dog during a family trip to Morocco in February. Pharmacist Olamide Olokanmi confirmed the rise in numbers of people asking for rabies treatment. His pharmacy in Otley, West Yorkshire, had stocked up on the jab but he was concerned that an increase in demand may lead to a shortage of supply.

"We frequently have supply issues with vaccines, especially when there's a high demand for them, and rabies notoriously seems to be one of them," said Mr Olokanmi. "Year-on-year we always have that problem, so I do foresee that being a problem. There would then be a wait for it to come back in or we'd have to go to another manufacturer which then drives up the price of the vaccine."

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It currently costs up to £330 for a three-dose rabies vaccine. Mrs Ford's death from the virus was the first in the UK since 2018 when a British man was bitten by a cat in the same African country. Mr Olokanmi has seen a rise in the number of customers seeking advice about whether to get the vaccination before travelling to high-risk regions such as Asia, Africa and Central and South America. Before news of Mrs Ford's death, most people accessing the pharmacy's travel clinic opted not to get the jab, he said.

He told the BBC : "We had one lady come in on Wednesday night who is going on holiday to Morocco. She wasn't going to get the vaccine but after hearing what happened to this lady she changed her mind.

A young man has also come in who is going to Morocco and we've had a lot of phone calls from people asking about it."

The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), said its members were directing customers to the UK government travel advice.

The travel agents have a duty to give advice about vaccines to holidaymakers when planning and booking their trip. That guidance was repeated for the benefit of their members this week.

Spokesperson Emma Brennan added: "The UK Foreign Office does a lot to raise awareness of checking this advice and we support them in that, and their work with industry."

Barnsley NHS Foundation Trust confirmed his wife was diagnosed with rabies.

It is a rare but serious infection that is usually caught from the bite or scratch of infected dogs, bats, raccoons and foxes.

Although the risk of getting it while travelling is small, rabies is more common in parts of Asia, Africa and Central and South America.

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

The UK has been rabies-free since 1922, when the last indigenous non-fatal case was recorded, with the exception of rabies-like viruses in some wild bat species.

Omar Zouhri, 58, was the last person to die in the UK from rabies; he was bitten by a rabid cat while in Morocco.

Mr Zouhri, from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, died in hospital in Oxford on November 4, 2018.