Toledo- Lucas County (Ohio) Health Department reported Wednesday that a Michigan resident died of rabies after receiving an organ transplant in Ohio.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the report, saying the patient died in January and the organ transplant occurred in December.
The patient received a transplanted organ and was cared for in Lucas County. The local health department said that since the person is a resident of Michigan, it will be considered a rabies case for Michigans, not an Ohio case. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), this is the first human rabies case in Michigan since 2009.
Lucas County and its county seat Toledo are located south of the Ohio State Line, Michigan. Authorities from both states participated in the investigation; CDD confirmed rabies.
Michigan officials added that organ donors are not residents of Michigan or Ohio.
“Multi-state public health surveys were conducted to determine the risk of recipient exposure and did not find public risks,” Toledo Health Report said.
The CDC explains that rabies is a viral disease that is fatal to humans if they are not received medical services before symptoms begin. It is usually transmitted to humans and pets through bites or scratches from infected animals.
In the United States, the number of deaths among humans each year is less than 10.
After potential rabies exposure, 60,000 Americans receive medical services each year.
“If post-preventive care is provided appropriately,” the Michigan agency said in this case.
Paula Wesington
