Kerala rethinks organ donor checks after US rabies case
After a rare rabies death from an organ transplant in Ohio, Kerala is discussing tightening its screening for deceased donors.
The US case, where a kidney recipient died weeks after getting an organ from a skunk-scratched donor, has sparked fresh worries—especially since Kerala sees lots of animal bites and rising rabies cases each year.
What's Kerala planning?
Dr. Noble Gracious, executive director of Kerala's main transplant body (K-SOTTO), says there may be a need to update safety protocols.
He is calling for better risk tracking and funding to make ICU screenings more thorough.
He believes these steps could make transplants safer for everyone involved.
How rare is this?
Rabies transmission through organ donation is extremely uncommon—this was only the fourth such case reported in the US since 1978.
While India already checks donors' medical and exposure history by law, routine rabies testing isn't standard anywhere because it's so rare.
Still, this incident has put extra focus on keeping recipients safe.