A Michigan man died of rabies he contracted after receiving a kidney transplant from a donor who became infected — and later died — while rescuing a kitten from a rabid skunk, according to health officials.

The unidentified patient received the Idaho donor’s left kidney during a December 2024 transplant in Ohio — only to suffer a fever, tremors, weakness, confusion, difficulty swallowing, fear of water, and loss of bladder control five weeks later, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The recipient was rushed to the hospital as his condition rapidly worsened, but after a week of treatment, he died. Postmortem tests revealed the shocking cause , the CDC report published last Thursday said.

“This is an exceptionally rare event,” Dr. Lara Dazi

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