transplant

BK, JC and Merkel cell polyomaviruses infect most people silently, yet can cause transplant kidney damage, brain disease, and an aggressive skin cancer.

Spain has the world's highest deceased organ donation rate — 49 donors per million people — and has held that position for more than three decades. The secret is not Spanish generosity but a system redesign: opt-out consent, transplant coordinators in every hospital, and a culture of medical trust. Here's what the data shows.