Should I be worried about rabies on holiday and where is it a risk?

Following the death of a British grandmother from rabies, tourists headed on their summer holidays may have heightened concerns about the safety of their travel plans.

Yvonne Ford, 59, died in Sheffield last Wednesday (11 June), four months after being scratched by a puppy in Morocco.

Rabies, a rare but deadly infection, is usually transmitted to humans through a bite or scratch from an infected animal.

Once symptoms appear, the viral disease is almost always fatal.

Common symptoms of rabies include numbness, hallucinations and difficulty swallowing.

Here’s everything holidaymakers need to know to stay safe from rabies while travelling.

Read more: Rabies warning as grandmother dies after being scratched by stray puppy in Morocco

What is rabies?

Rabies is a usually fatal infection of the brain and nerves that can be caught if a person is bitten, scratched or licked by an infected animal.

The viral disease is spread by contact with saliva from mammals, such as dogs, bats, raccoons and foxes.

What are the symptoms of rabies?

According to the NHS, symptoms of rabies can take days, weeks or even several months to appear.

These include:

“Once symptoms appear, rabies is almost always fatal,” says NHS guidance.

Where is rabies most common?

Rabies is rare in the UK, but it is found in some UK bat species.

It is more common in parts of:

Can I get a rabies vaccine?

There is a pre-exposure rabies vaccine that is recommended to travellers visiting regions where the viral disease is more common.

Travellers headed to remote areas for more than a month with a likelihood of encountering infected animals are encouraged by the NHS to have the vaccine.

In most cases, you have to pay for the rabies vaccine.

Is there a treatment for rabies?

Yes, if administered before symptoms appear, travellers can be treated to prevent rabies post-exposure.

This usually involves two or more doses of the rabies vaccine.

According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA): “A full course of pre-exposure rabies vaccines will provide good protection from rabies for most people.”

If a traveller has completed a full course of the pre-exposure rabies vaccine within the last year, they may receive a single booster dose.

The NHS say that those who have not had the rabies vaccine before or are immunocompromised may also have their wound treated with a medicine called rabies immunoglobulin.

However, once symptoms develop, there is no effective treatment.

What is the UK government's advice for travellers?

To reduce the risk of getting rabies while travelling abroad, the UKHSA tells tourists to avoid contact with any wild animals, including touching or feeding them.

It also warns: “Rabid animals may behave strangely or seem unusually tame, but some may not have any signs that they are infected.”

If bitten, scratched or licked by an animal on broken skin, UKHSA recommends travellers take these steps:

For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast