A Michigan resident died of rage after receiving an organ transplant.
The patient, who received the transplant in an Ohio hospital in December 2024, died of the fatal virus in January 2025, confirmed a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services of Michigan (MDHHS) to Fox News Digital.
“The person was a recent organ transplant receiver, and a public health investigation determined that they contracted rabies through the transplanted organ,” said the spokesman.
Liver transplants related to increasing alcohol among young adults, says the doctor.
The confirmation of rabies was performed by the Rabia laboratory of the CDC.
The Department of Health and Human Services of Michigan has worked closely with the Department of Health of Ohio and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the investigation, the same source declared.
A Michigan resident died of rage after receiving an organ transplant. (Istock)
“Health officials worked together to ensure that people, including medical care providers, who were in contact with Michigan’s individual were evaluated by possible exposure to rage,” said the MDHHS. “Preventive attention has been provided after the exhibition, if applicable,”.
Potentially deadly zoonotic virus found in the US.
“There is no threat to the general public.”
The organ donor was not a resident of Michigan or Ohio, according to health officials. No additional information about the resident or donor has been provided.
Rabies is a deadly viral disease that is mainly transmitted to people and pets through bites or scratches of an infected animal, according to CDC. (Istock)
While organs are routinely examined for infectious diseases, cancers, quality and functionality before transplantation, rabies tests are not usually performed.
“There is currently no country or institution that requires the detection of rabies among donors before organ transplant surgery,” according to the information published by the National Health Institutes.
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In 2013, the CDC confirmed the death of four people in Maryland that hired rage after receiving organs from the same donor.
In 2004, the agency reported the death of the rage of three people who received organs from a common infected donor.
What to know about anger
Rabies is a deadly viral disease that is mainly transmitted to people and pets through bites or scratches of an infected animal, according to CDC.
The virus affects the central nervous system, which finally causes cerebral dysfunction. The infected person may experience anxiety, confusion, agitation and hallucinations, according to the health agency.
Rabies is almost always fatal if the infected person does not receive medical attention before symptoms begin. (Istock)
Rabies is almost always fatal if the infected person does not receive medical attention before symptoms begin.
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Around 60,000 people in the US.
Less than 10 deaths in the country are reported every year.
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The majority of Americans who hire rabies are infected by bats.
Other animals that commonly carry rage include mapaches, skunks and foxes.
