A Michigan resident has died after contracting rabies from an organ transplant performed at an Ohio hospital, according to state and federal health officials.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) confirmed that the patient underwent transplant surgery in December 2024 and passed away the following month. Following a joint investigation, MDHHS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined that the individual was infected with rabies through the transplanted organ.
The patient had received medical care in Lucas County, Ohio, and died there in January, the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department said in a statement. Officials emphasized that the case poses no risk to the public.
“A multi-state public health investigation was conducted to determine the risk of exposure to the recipient and found no risk to the general public,” the statement read.
Because the deceased was a Michigan resident, the case will be recorded in Michigan’s statistics and not counted among Ohio’s rabies cases. “No Lucas County residents have contracted or died of rabies,” officials added.
Authorities have not released the identities of the donor or recipient but confirmed that the organ donor was not a resident of Ohio or Michigan. Health officials also stated that all individuals—including healthcare workers—who may have come into contact with the infected patient were evaluated for possible exposure, and preventive treatment was administered where appropriate.
This is believed to be Michigan’s first human rabies case since 2009, according to the CDC.
While organs are rigorously screened for various infectious diseases and malignancies, testing for rabies is not a standard part of the process. The Ohio Department of Health describes rabies as a preventable viral disease primarily transmitted through bites from infected animals. It can also be spread if infected saliva comes into contact with open wounds or mucous membranes.
Symptoms of rabies include fever, hallucinations, seizures, and paralysis. Although rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms appear, the disease can be prevented through immediate vaccination following exposure.