(WXYZ) — A Michigan resident has tragically died after contracting rabies through a recent organ transplant. We don’t know which organ was transplanted, but this raises questions about how organ donors are screened.
First of all, my sincere condolences to the recipient’s loved ones. The second chance at life for this Michigan patient was tragically cut short. Here's what we know: the patient had an organ transplant at a hospital in Ohio in December and died the following month. Michigan and Ohio health officials worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to confirm that the patient was infected through the donated organ. No further details have been shared.
Now, rabies deaths are rare in the U.S. We usually see fewer than 10 cases a year. Rabies is almost always transmitted through bites or saliva from an infected animal. However, transmission through an organ transplant has happened before.
In 2004, three recipients died after receiving organs from an infected donor in Arkansas. And in 2013, a kidney transplant patient died under similar circumstances.
While this is scary, please keep in mind that thousands of transplants are performed every year, with over 48,000 in 2024 alone.
Rabies doesn’t show symptoms right away because the virus has to first travel to the brain. Early signs can feel like the flu: fever, headache and discomfort. But as it gets worse, it can cause confusion, excessive drooling and even hallucinations.
So, should we be worried? First of all, there are strict guidelines to make sure organ donation is done ethically and safely. Every potential donor undergoes extensive screening for infectious diseases like HIV, hepatitis and other viruses or bacteria.
In fact, a highly accurate test called nucleic acid testing lowers the risk of passing an infection through a transplant. However, testing for rabies isn’t standard because it takes too long and could put the organs at risk.
Now, when it comes to risks, patients are fully informed before a transplant. And they always have the right to say no. But waiting comes with risks. Every day, about 17 people die while waiting for an organ transplant.
At the end of the day, organ transplants save thousands of lives every year. While cases like this are tragic, they’re actually incredibly rare.
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