Michigan Resident Died From Rabies After Organ Transplant, Investigation Finds

A electron microscope image shows rabies virions, dark and bullet-shaped, within an infected tissue sample. F. A. Murphy/CDC via AP

A Michigan resident has died from rabies after catching the deadly disease from an organ transplant, local health officials recently reported.

The transplant was performed in Ohio in December, and the patient died in January, according to Lynn Sutfin, spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

The case came to light in March, following an investigation by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Ohio Department of Health.

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“Health officials worked together to ensure that people, including health care providers, who were in contact with the Michigan individual were assessed for possible exposure to rabies,” Sutfin said in an emailed statement, reported The Associated Press.

NTD, sister media of The Epoch Times, did not hear back from the CDC before publication time.

According to the CDC, fewer than 10 people each year die from rabies in the United States, with the last rabies death associated with an organ transplantation occurring in 2013.

The disease progresses from flu-like symptoms to more severe manifestations, including hallucinations and difficulty swallowing. Once symptoms appear, the disease is almost always fatal.

Recent Rabies-Related Death

This latest death follows another rabies-related death that occurred in November last year, when a 60-year-old teacher from California’s Fresno County died after being bitten by an infected bat.

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Leah Seneng, who taught at Bryant Middle School in Dos Palos, is believed to have been bitten by a bat she found in her classroom in mid-October, according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).

Rabies is typically transmitted through contact with saliva or blood from infected animals, with bats being the most common source of human rabies in the United States.

“Bites from bats can be incredibly small and difficult to see or detect. It is important to wash your hands and look for any open wounds after touching a wild animal, and to seek immediate medical care if bitten,” Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, CDPH director and state public health officer, said in a statement around the time of Seneng’s death.

The CDPH recommends several preventive measures against rabies, including vaccinating pets, avoiding handling wild animals, and seeking prompt medical care if bitten by an animal, especially if it is wild or behaving unusually.

From NTD News