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Rabies is one of the deadliest diseases humanity has ever encountered—once symptoms begin, it’s almost always a death sentence.

So how did one teenage girl survive it?

This week, we dive into the unbelievable case of Jeanna Giese, the first person ever documented to survive rabies without receiving the vaccine beforehand. After a seemingly harmless bat bite, her condition rapidly deteriorated—until doctors attempted something never done before: an experimental, high-risk treatment that would later be called the Milwaukee Protocol.

They essentially shut her brain down… and hoped her body could fight back.

📚 References

1. Jeanna Giese. Wikidoc. Accessed March 31, 2026. https://www.wikidoc.org/index.php/Jeanna_Giese
2. The Milwaukee protocol (MP): hope does not... Med J Dr DY Patil Vidyapeeth. 2017;10(2). Accessed March 31, 2026. https://journals.lww.com/mjdy/fulltext/2017/10020/the__milwaukee_protocol___mp__hope_does_not.17.aspx
3. Willoughby RE Jr. Jeanna Giese, rabies survivor. Scientific American. Published 2007. Accessed March 31, 2026. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/jeanna-giese-rabies-survivor/
4. Jeanna Giese: rabies survivor. Children’s Wisconsin. Published May 2016. Accessed March 31, 2026. https://childrenswi.org/at-every-turn/stories/2016/05/jeanna-giese-rabies
5. 20 years later: Fond du Lac woman reflects on being first to survive rabies without vaccine. Fox 11 News. Accessed March 31, 2026. https://fox11online.com/news/local/20-years-later-fond-du-lac-woman-reflects-on-being-1st-to-survive-rabies-without-vaccine-jeanna-giese-bat-centers-disease-control-willoughby-coma-medical-marvel
6. Jackson AC. Demise of the Milwaukee protocol for rabies. Clin Infect Dis. 2025;81(4):e229-e232. doi:10.1093/cid/ciaf157