Michigan resident dies of rabies contracted from transplanted organ
March 27 (UPI) -- A Michigan resident has died from rabies contracted while undergoing an organ transplant, according to state health officials.
The patient died of the highly deadly disease in January after undergoing organ transplant surgery in Ohio the month prior, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Lynn Sutfin told UPI in an emailed statement.
She said a public health investigation, involving local and federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention health officials, determined the patient had contracted rabies through the transplanted organ, which was not specified.
The organ donor was neither a Michigan nor an Ohio resident, she said, adding that no additional information about the deceased resident or donor would be made public.
"There is no threat to the general public," she said. "Health officials worked together to ensure that people, including care providers, who were in contact with the Michigan individual were assessed for possible exposure to rabies. Post exposure preventive care, if appropriate, has been provided."
Rabies is a fatal yet preventable disease that is spread to humans through being bitten or scratched by an infected animal, according to the CDC, which said it primarily affects the central nervous system, leading to severe brain disease and death if not addressed prior to the onset of symptoms.
Fewer than 10 human rabies deaths are reported each year in the United States, the CDC said, while warning that the disease "poses a serious public health threat" due to the high death rate and that nearly three in four Americans live in a community with infected racoons, skunks or foxes.
According to the World Health Organization, in 99% of human rabies cases, dogs are responsible for transmission. An estimated 59,000 people die from rabies worldwide each year, it said. The CDC states rabies kills about 70,000 people annually.
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