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The British mum who died after being scratched by a stray puppy while on a holiday in has been named, with her family paying a heartbreaking tribute. Yvonne Ford, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, in February before falling ill earlier this month, her daughter said. Ms Ford's death led to a warning from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to tourists heading to affected regions including Asia and Africa about the dangerous disease, which is usually passed on through injuries caused by an infected animal.

Sharing the news of her mother's death on , Robyn Thomson said: "Two weeks ago she became ill, starting with a headache and resulted in losing her ability to walk, talk, sleep, swallow. Resulting in her passing." Ms Thomson said she had caught the disease after being "scratched very slightly by a puppy" while visiting Morocco in February.

"At the time, she did not think any harm would come of it and didn't think much of it," the tribute continued.

"Our family is still processing this unimaginable loss, but we are choosing to speak up in the hope of preventing this from happening to others.

"She was the heart of our family - strong, loving and endlessly supportive. No words can fully capture the depth of our loss or the impact she had on all of us.

"We are heartbroken, but also grateful for every moment we had with her."

While rabies is almost always fatal when contracted by humans, the UKHSA said immediate treatment post-exposure can provide maximum effectiveness, and urged those injured by animals abroad to quickly seek local medical advice.

The agency also confirmed that the case posed no wider risk to the public because there is no documented evidence of rabies being passed between humans.

Dr Katherine Russell, Head of Emerging Infections and Zoonoses, at UKHSA, said: "I would like to extend my condolences to this individual's family at this time.

"If you are bitten, scratched or licked by an animal in a country where rabies is found then you should wash the wound or site of exposure with plenty of soap and water and seek medical advice without delay in order to get post-exposure treatment to prevent rabies.

"There is no risk to the wider public in relation to this case. Human cases of rabies are extremely rare in the UK, and worldwide there are no documented instances of direct human-to-human transmission."