内容摘要：He wanted paramedics to help him corral the toothy reptile.

He wanted paramedics to help him corral the toothy reptile.

“I told myself I would find him again,” she said at his marble tombstone. “At the moment of my death, or afterward, I’ll be reunited with him.”A Michigan resident died earlier this year after contracting rabies from an organ transplant, health officials said.

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 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Ohio Department of Health determined the patient got rabies from the donated organ. Sutfin did not specify which organ was transplanted.Rabies is a deadly viral disease that can spread to humans through contact with saliva or blood from infected animals. As rabies progresses, it worsens in severity from flu-like symptoms to hallucinations and difficulty swallowing. By the time symptoms appear, the illness is almost always fatal.

According to the CDC, fewer than 10 people die annually from rabies in the U.S. And it happening due to organ transplants is very rare, but not unheard of; in 2013, a patient who received a kidney transplant died from rabies.The screening process for potential organ donors in the U.S. includes questions about changes in donors’ mental states and testing for viruses and infections.

Sutfin stressed there is no threat to the general public.

“Health officials worked together to ensure that people, including health care providers, who were in contact with the Michigan individual were assessed for possible exposure to rabies,” she said, adding that post-exposure care was provided where necessary.Mohammed Abu Teaima, 33, said he saw Israeli forces open fire and kill his cousin and a woman as they headed toward the distribution site. He said his cousin was shot in his chest and his brother-in-law was among the wounded.

“They opened heavy fire directly toward us,” he said.An AP reporter arrived at the field hospital at around 6 a.m. and saw dozens of wounded, including women and children. The reporter also saw crowds of people returning from the distribution point. Some carried boxes of aid but most appeared to be empty-handed.

Officials at the field hospital said at least 21 people were killed and another 175 were wounded, without saying who opened fire on them. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.Gaza’s Health Ministry provided the same toll and later updated it.