Fatal Case of Human Rabies First in Maryland Since 1976
Fewer than five adults die from rabies in the United States each year.
UPDATE: March 15 A Maryland man whom the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene confirmed died of rabies contracted the disease from a kidney transplant, according to The Washington Post. It was the first case in the state of fatal rabies since 1976. Citing two unnamed sources familiar with the case, the report said the patient, a man in his 20s, died at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington after receiving the transplant at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in 2011. The report said that three people in other states received organs from the same Florida donor. Their conditions were reportedly unknown. Transmission of rabies through organ or tissue transplant is said to be rare worldwide. According to the Post…
