Two Die From Rabies-Infected Organs

A 70-year-old man and a woman have died in Germany after receiving organs from a woman who was infected with rabies. The man, who had received a kidney, died Monday afternoon. Despite frantic efforts to save her, the woman, who received a lung transplant died late Saturday, hospital officials treating her said. One other patient who received organs from the same donor is in critical condition with rabies, which is almost always fatal, the MHH hospital in the northern city of Hanover said. They are being treated with methods developed in the United States, where last year doctors were able to rescue a 15-year-old girl who had contracted the disease. Günter Kirste of the German Organ Transplant Foundation (DSO) said Sunday that the donor woman had shown no clear symptoms for rabies. The DSO stated further that donor's organs have been thoroughly tested for bacteria, viruses and tumors before the transplants since the rabies cases emerged. The state prosecutor's office in the western city of Mainz is reviewing the case to determine whether to launch a probe for criminal negligence.