That sentence doesn't indicate the sequence of events. Both of the following sequences match the sentence; thus the confusion.

Sequence 1:

Day 0) Donor contributes kidney to donee

Day 10) Donor dies of rabies

Day 15) Donee dies of rabies

Sequence 2 (the incident sequence)

Day 0) Donor shows symptoms of rabies (undiagnosed)

Day 2) Donor dies of rabies (diagnosed as heart failure)

Day 2+?) Donor's kidney is installed in donee

Day N) Donee dies from rabies

Day N+M) Donor's death is reevaluted and rabies is diagnosed

Yeah I phrases that wrong, I'm wondering if the donor was alive or if they harvested organs from somebody that was dead from rabies.

They harvested organs from somebody who had died of rabies.