The family of a Barnsley woman who died after contracting rabies is seeking answers regarding her treatment, with an inquest scheduled for March 2024.
The inquest, to be held from March 2nd to 5th before a jury due to rabies being a notifiable disease, will examine the circumstances surrounding the death of Mrs. Ford. Her daughter, Ms. Thomson, previously described watching her mother suffer from rabies as “horrendous” and hopes the inquest will give her mum “dignity in death.”
During a preliminary hearing, Mr. Ford, Mrs. Ford’s husband, stated it was “not fair” how his wife had been treated.He told the hearing that on June 7th, following an MRI scan at the Royal Hallamshire hospital, a staff member contacted him to say she did not have rabies.
Mrs. Ford’s son,Adam,acknowledged this facts had been “something that has been bothering me,” but clarified the family had no concerns regarding the overall treatment she received at the hospital.
Ms.Whittle, representing the family, emphasized the inquest is not intended to be punitive, but to determine the medical cause of death, the events leading up to it, and address the “who, what, when, where and why.” The family has a “burning desire” to ask questions of witnesses.
Mrs.Ford contracted rabies during a dog vaccination drive in Cambodia with Mission Rabies in October of the previous year. She described the loss of her mother as “unimaginable” and expressed a desire to prevent others from experiencing similar suffering.
