The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) today announced that a woman from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, diagnosed at Barnsley Hospital, has died after becoming infected with rabies, following contact with a stray dog during a visit to the Kingdom of Morocco, located in northern Africa.
Currently, the UK’s list of rabies-risk areas does not include Monaco.
The UKHSA stated on June 18, 2025, that there is no risk to the broader public about this case, as there is no documented evidence of rabies transmission between people in England. Rabies virus is transmitted through bites and scratches from an infected animal.
Once infected, rabies is nearly always fatal.
Furthermore, rabies does not circulate in either wild or domestic animals in the United Kingdom; however, some species of bats can carry a rabies-like virus, as is the case in the United States.
Dr. Katherine Russell, Head of Emerging Infections and Zoonoses, at UKHSA, commented in a press release, “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 to get post-exposure treatment to prevent rabies.”
When administered promptly after exposure, a course of rabies post-exposure treatment is highly effective in preventing the disease. If such an exposure occurs abroad, the traveller should also consult their doctor on return.
The UKHSA and the U.S. CDC suggest that international travelers speak with a travel vaccine consultant regarding rabies immunization options.
As of 2025, the WHO has pre-qualified human rabies vaccines, including Bavarian Nordic’s RabAvert vaccine, which is commercially available in the United States.
