Midwest

Michigan man dies of rabies after receiving kidney from infected donor who saved kitten from skunk: CDC

Published

4 months ago

December 11, 2025

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Michigan man dies of rabies after receiving kidney from infected donor who saved kitten from skunk: CDC

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A tragic series of events led to a fatal case of transplant-related rabies earlier this year.

Health officials announced Thursday that an organ recipient who underwent transplant surgery in Ohio died of rabies in February. Further investigation revealed that the donor had become infected with the fatal virus after saving a kitten from a skunk.

The unnamed patient, from Michigan, received the donor’s kidney in December 2024, and later developed severe symptoms that prompted hospitalization and “invasive” procedures, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.

He reportedly experienced fever, tremors, difficulty swallowing and fear of water and died 51 days after the transplant.

‘SILENT KILLER’ PARASITIC DISEASE SPREADING ACROSS MULTIPLE US STATES, EXPERTS WARN

An Idaho man reportedly died from rabies after getting scratched by a skunk. (iStock)

The CDC said the donor, whose donated tissue went to three other recipients, was infected with the silver-haired bat variant of rabies, suggesting the skunk had been infected by a bat.

Records revealed that the organ donor, from Idaho, was scratched on the shin while fending off a skunk that displayed “predatory aggression” six weeks before his death.

“In late October 2024, a skunk approached the donor as he held a kitten in an outbuilding on his rural property,” the CDC said. “During an encounter that rendered the skunk unconscious, the donor sustained a shin scratch that bled, but he did not think he had been bitten. According to the family, the donor attributed the skunk’s behavior to predatory aggression toward the kitten.”

FLESH-EATING PARASITE CASE DETECTED IN US TRAVELER RETURNING FROM CENTRAL AMERICA

A donor recipient reportedly died several weeks after a transplant operation in Ohio. (iStock)

In the following five weeks, the donor began experiencing hallucinations, trouble swallowing, difficulty walking and a stiff neck, the agency said.

Two days later, he was discovered unresponsive at home after a suspected heart attack, according to health officials. He was reportedly revived at a hospital but was declared brain-dead and removed from life support.

The CDC said his organs were donated after the family documented the skunk encounter in a donor risk assessment. However, health officials noted that the form did not screen for rabies, citing its “rarity in humans.”

“In the United States, potential donors’ family members often provide information about a donor’s infectious disease risk factors, including animal exposures,” the CDC said. “Rabies is excluded from routine donor pathogen testing because of its rarity in humans in the United States and the complexity of diagnostic testing. In this case, hospital staff members who treated the donor were initially unaware of the skunk scratch and attributed his pre-admission signs and symptoms to chronic comorbidities.”

Health officials added that three other patients received corneal tissue from the same infected donor. They all underwent graft removal, received rabies treatment and remained asymptomatic, the CDC reported.

Health officials also reached out to 370 people who could have been in contact with the donor, according to the agency. Forty-six of them were recommended to undergo rabies procedures.

ORGAN TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT DIES OF RABIES AFTER SURGERY

A Michigan man was scratched by a skunk while saving a kitten on his rural property. (Peter Bischoff)

Health officials said the kidney recipient’s death marks the fourth documented case of rabies transmission through an organ transplant in the U.S. since 1978, emphasizing that the risk of such infections remains extremely low.

Transplant teams are now advised to consult public health officials if a potential donor has recent bites or scratches from rabies-susceptible animals, especially if the donor has had unexplained neurological symptoms.

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However, “no standard guidance currently exists for addressing reported donor animal exposures by transplant teams,” the CDC said.

About 1.4 million Americans receive care for possible rabies exposure annually, and fewer than 10 die from the disease due to effective prevention efforts, according to the agency.

Fox News Digital reached out to the CDC for more information.

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Illinois

District 87 Superintendent Honored by Illinois Association

Published

23 minutes ago

April 8, 2026

Press Room

District 87 Superintendent Honored by Illinois Association

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Indiana

Best NFL Draft Fits for Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr.

Published

29 minutes ago

April 8, 2026

Press Room

Best NFL Draft Fits for Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr.

Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. is among the biggest rising prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft. Once viewed as a second-round pick, Cooper is now being discussed as a potential top-20 selection. The National Championship winner could be the third wideout drafted.

Cooper was outstanding as Fernando Mendoza’s go-to target in 2025, registering 69 receptions for 937 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Indianapolis native continued attaching a jetpack to his pre-draft stock at the NFL Combine by running a 4.42 and leaping a 37-inch vertical.

Cooper is strongly positioned to be a first-round pick. We’ve identified the three most sensible team fits for Cooper in the 2026 NFL Draft.

2026 NFL Draft: 3 Fits for Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr.

New York Jets

The New York Jets lack wide receiver depth behind Garrett Wilson. They acquired Geno Smith to play quarterback as a temporary solution earlier this offseason, buying them time to find a franchise arm. Smith is an aggressive gunslinger who needs more weapons at his disposal.

The Jets are going to draft the top defender on their board at No. 2 overall, with David Bailey and Arvell Reese as the favorites. With their second of their first-round selections (No. 16), they may target an offensive lineman or wide receiver. Cooper projects as an excellent complement to Wilson.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers traded for Michael Pittman Jr. this summer. That marks two consecutive offseasons the Steelers have made an aggressive trade for a receiver. Pittman joins DK Metcalf in a rather top-heavy receiver room in Pittsburgh.

Both Metcalf and Pittman are big-bodied wideouts who are vertical field stretches and contested catch winners. With the Steelers still sorting through Aaron Rodgers’ decision and their quarterback position, Mike McCarthy’s offense needs a receiver capable of doing short-to-intermediate damage as a yards-after-catch threat who can break tackles. The Steelers could target Cooper at No. 21 overall.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are still expected to trade disgruntled wide receiver A.J. Brown this offseason. Once Brown’s departure is finalized, the Eagles’ depth chart at receiver will become fairly thin, with DeVonta Smith being elevated into the No. 1 role.

Marquise “Hollywood” Brown was signed in free agency, but he’s a deeper rotational option at this point in his career. Cooper would thrive in Nick Sirianni’s system as a quarterback-friendly target Jalen Hurts could pepper underneath the coverage in creative concepts. Receiver has emerged as one of the Eagles’ bigger draft-day needs.

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Iowa

USDA Rural Development invests $11.5 million in 13 Iowa projects, including in Osage

Published

35 minutes ago

April 8, 2026

Press Room

USDA Rural Development invests .5 million in 13 Iowa projects, including in Osage

OSAGE, Iowa (KTTC) – Utility and cooperatives across the state of Iowa are receiving millions of dollars in financial assistance from the federal government.

The money comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development.

Grant money totaling about $11.5 million in loans will be allocated to 13 projects, including two in Osage.

Heartland Power Co-op and Osage Municipal Utilities will receive $1 million each to support A to Z Drying Incorporated, an Osage manufacturing plant.

The funding will help the company acquire a 234,000 square-foot production and warehouse facility to expand its business.

The other Iowa projects receiving financial assistance include:

Iowa State University’s AgMRC Center
- Receiving a $1.4 million grant through the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center Grants program to provide independent producers and processors with critical information needed to build successful value-added agricultural enterprises through the center’s website.
Corn Belt Power Cooperative
- Receiving a $952,000 loan to provide a pass-through loan to Kinetic Technologies LLC. This project will enable the manufacturing business to construct a new facility in Algona, in Kossuth County, Iowa.
Central Iowa Power Cooperative
- Receiving a $1 million loan to provide a pass-through loan to Continental Manufacturing Chemist Inc. in Huxley, in Story County, Iowa. This project will purchase equipment and software to help expand the company’s custom packaging business.
Southern Iowa Electric Cooperative Inc.
- Receiving a $1 million loan to provide a pass-through loan to TSM Holding LLC/M3 Fabrication LLC. This project will purchase new powder coating equipment and construct a 56,000 square foot building expansion to house the company’s powder coating processes in Bloomfield, Davis County, Iowa.
North West Rural Electric Cooperative
- Receiving a $1 million loan to provide a pass-through loan to Hemp Agra LLC. This project will purchase equipment for the industrial hemp processing facility in Rock Valley, Sioux County, Iowa. The equipment will process raw hemp into components used in the construction, textiles, composites, and pet care industries.

According to the USDA, six other Iowa companies will receive grant money through the Higher Blends Infrastructure and Incentive Program to help create infrastructure and expand the sale and usage of renewable fuels.

Rainbo Oil Company
- Receiving a $589,648 grant to retrofit eight E15 dispensers, install four E15 dispensers, eight B20 dispensers, two ethanol storage tanks, and one biodiesel storage tank across five fueling stations located in Delhi in Delaware County, Iowa, and four stations in Dubuque in Dubuque County, Iowa.
Multi-County Oil Co.
- Receiving a $411,108 grant to install two E15 dispensers, two E85 dispensers, two B20 dispensers, one ethanol storage tank, and one biodiesel storage tank at two fueling stations in North English and Keswick in Keokuk County, Iowa.
C&D Car Wash LLC
- Receiving a $411,000 grant to install three E15 dispensers, one B20 dispenser, one ethanol storage tank, and one biodiesel storage tank at one fueling station in Bellevue in Jackson County, Iowa.
Butler Truck Oasis LLC
- Receiving a $573,375 grant to install four E15 dispensers, four E85 dispensers, and five B20 dispensers at one fueling station in Shell Rock in Butler County, Iowa.
Prime Stop Inc.
- Receiving a $238,500 grant to install three E15 dispensers and one ethanol storage tank at one fueling station in Melbourne, Marshall County, Iowa.
Molo Petroleum LLC
- Receiving a $1.95 million grant to install 30 E15 dispensers, six B20 dispensers, four ethanol storage tanks, and four biodiesel storage tanks in Eldridge, Bettendorf, and Davenport in Scott County, Iowa; Hiawatha in Linn County, Iowa; Dubuque in Dubuque County, Iowa; and East Moline in Rock Island County, Illinois.