A resident of the US state of Michigan died earlier this year after contracting rabies from an organ transplant, health officials said, reports AP.

The patient had the organ transplanted at a hospital in Ohio in December and died in January, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Lynn Sutfin said.

A subsequent investigation that also involved the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Ohio Department of Health determined the patient got rabies from the donated organ.

This is the first case of human-to-human rabies in Michigan since 2009. According to the CDC, fewer than 10 people die annually from rabies in the US. And it happening due to organ transplants is very rare.

Rabies is a fatal disease caused by the rabies virus that attacks the central nervous system of mammals, including humans. The virus is usually transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal, through bites and open wounds, particularly scratches.

Once symptoms appear, rabies is almost always fatal. The time from infection to the appearance of symptoms varies from a few weeks to a few months, but symptoms usually appear sooner if the wound is closer to the brain.

Initially, symptoms resemble those of the flu (fever, headache, weakness), then progress to neurological disorders, including confusion, hallucinations, paralysis, hydrophobia (fear of water), and ultimately convulsions and death.