New England Journal of Medicine Publishes Jeanna Giese Rabies Cure
Published: June 16, 2005
The experimental treatment doctors at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin used to save a Fond du Lac teenager with rabies is being published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.
Jeanna Giese is the only person in the world to survive rabies without the vaccination.
The teen was slightly bitten by a downed bat last September. She considered it minor and didn’t seek medical treatment until a month later when her condition worsened. Then she was diagnosed with advanced rabies and almost died.
The doctors who saved Jeanna’s life continue to call her their “miracle patient.” They met the media Wednesday at Children’s Hospital near Milwaukee. They say saving Jeanna’s life is so far the highlight of their medical careers, but they add there was an element of luck involved.
“It’s a miracle in that no one is supposed to survive rabies, and we’re not quite sure what we did and what worked and we’re not sure it can be reproduced,” Dr. Rodney Willoughby said.
The doctors say what really helped them is that Jeanna’s parents emphatically told them ‘Do what you have to do,’ which ethically allowed them to improvise a plan to save Jeanna’s life.
That plan included putting Jeanna in an induced coma for a week, allowing her immune system to fight the rabies. They also concocted what they call a special medical cocktail of carefully selected drugs that worked.
Doctor Willoughby said he saw Jeanna two weeks ago and still projects a full recovery. He said, “She shocked me last time I saw here by walking down the hall by herself, and I have rumors of her trying to shock me even when I see her in August, something involving wheels and high speed.”
Jeanna celebrated her 16th birthday earlier this month. Jeanna’s dad says it will be a while before Jeanna gets her drivers license but he says she’s busy practicing with go-karts.
Doctors call Jeanna the perfect patient for their improvised treatment, and they’re glad the rest of the medical community will now get to read about her medical miracle and use it for future rabies cases.
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