A 60-year-old California art teacher died from rabies after coming into contact with a bat she found in her classroom. Leah Seneng, who worked at Bryant Middle School in Dos Palos, may have been bitten while scooping up the bat to release it outside.
Public health officials emphasize the importance of seeking immediate medical treatment if someone has come into contact with an animal that may carry rabies. However, Seneng did not seek care until a month after the incident, when she began feeling feverish and her hands were shaking.
Seneng was hospitalized and placed in a medically induced coma, but she died a few days later at Saint Agnes Medical Center in Fresno. Her husband and daughter were by her side, listening to music from her favorite Duran Duran playlist.
The California Department of Public Health confirmed Seneng’s case as rabies, citing the virus’s transmission through direct contact with an infected animal. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note that most rabies infections in the US come from bats, which can exhibit unusual behavior such as trouble flying or being active during the daytime.
Experts stress the importance of never touching a bat but recommend calling your doctor after any encounter with a wild animal, even if you don’t think you’ve been bitten. Most emergency departments have post-exposure treatment available, including one-time doses of immune globulins and vaccine shots over two weeks.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/03/health/rabies-death-california-art-teacher-bat/index.html