DOS PALOS, Calif. — A California middle school teacher has died a month after she was bitten by a rabid bat in her classroom.
The Fresno County Department of Public Health reported last week that a resident had died from rabies after being bitten by a bat in Merced County, the LA Times reports. The victim has been identified as 60-year-old Leah Seneng, an art teacher at Bryant Middle School.
Seneng found the bat in her classroom in mid-October. She thought the bat was dead and tried to remove it from the classroom before students arrived but was bitten.
“As she was picking it up, she thought maybe something scratched her,” said friend Laura Splotch. “But it didn’t seem very deep, or at least she didn’t think it broke the skin.”
Seneng did not have any symptoms in the days after she was bitten but began experiencing symptoms about a month later. She went to the hospital where she was placed into a medically induced coma. Seneng died on Nov. 22, four days after being admitted.
A Fresno County official said healthcare workers and household members who came into contact with Seneg have since been vaccinated for rabies.
What Are the Symptoms of Rabies?
Transmitted through the saliva of infected animals, less than 10 people die from rabies in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Rabies is most commonly seen among wild animals such as raccoons, bats, skunks, and foxes. Bat bites are often too small to be detected and anyone who comes into contact with a bat — dead or alive — should report the encounter to their healthcare provider.
Symptoms typically take about three to eight weeks to appear. The disease then progresses quickly and is almost always fatal if it isn’t treated before symptoms appear. The rabies vaccine is 100% effective if administered within 48 hours of exposure.
The first symptoms of rabies, called prodrome, are similar to the flu and include weakness, discomfort, fever, or headache. There may also be prickling or itching sensation at the site of the bite. Severe disease typically appears within two weeks of the initial symptoms, when the rabies virus causes brain dysfunction. Those symptoms may include insomnia, confusion, agitation, hallucinations, hypersalivation, or seizures.
Bat Infestation at Northern Arizona University
In October, hundreds of Northern Arizona University (NAU) students were forced to move out of their dorm rooms after the building became infested with bats. Around 550 students who lived in Mountain View Hall were relocated due to health concerns after several of the bats found their way inside.
Coconino County Health and Human Services officials confirmed a bat recovered inside a dorm room in September tested positive for rabies. No injuries were reported but several students received the rabies vaccine as a “cautionary measure.”
