A California woman has died from rabies after being bitten by a bat, according to officials. This marks the first rabies death in Merced County in over 30 years.
60-year-old Leah Seneng died on Nov. 22 after a bat flew into her classroom and bit her while she was teaching at Byrant Middle School.
A spokesperson for the family Laura Splotch, said Seneng was an art teacher and didn’t think anything of helping the bat when she saw it in her classroom. She had found it in the classroom before classes started and being a ‘kind-hearted individual’ who didn’t like seeing animals hurt, scooped it up and took it outside.
That was when the bat scratched her skin; it then flew away.
According to Splotch, Seneng had felt a slight prick on her skin from the animal but didn’t think that she had gotten bitten and even less so that she was infected with rabies – a disease with a fatality rate of over 99 percent once a person becomes symptomatic.
While bats are rarely seen indoors in that part of California, Megan Black, a spokesperson for Merced County Public Health is urging the public to be cautious if they come into close contact with one.
She emphasized that you should not engage nor interact with the animal and to report the bat to the local animal control right away. It’s also crucial that you seek attention from your medical provider if you’ve come into contact with the bat.
Unfortunately for Seneng, she did not experience any symptoms for several weeks. It wasn’t until Nov. 18 that she seeked medical attention at St. Agenes Medical Center. However, it was too late and her condition deteriorated rapidly.
Recognizing the Symptoms of Rabies
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, early symptoms of rabies include headaches or fever. As the disease progresses, an individual my develop unbearable confusion, anxiety, hallucinations, and agitation.
Unlike bites from other animals, those from bats tend to be small, meaning it’s not uncommon for a person to not notice the wound. Given that, any one who comes into contact with a bat should seek attention from their medical provider right away.
Dr. Trinidad Solis, the deputy health officer, said this case was the first rabies death in the rural California county since 1992.
While rabies is 99 percent fatal once a person develops symptoms, it is 100 percent preventable if a person receives medical attention right away.
According to Splotch, Sereng was a kind person who had a ‘dark sense of humor’. She continued by saying that she likely would have insisted her friends laugh about the circumstances around her death, noting that ‘it wasn’t on [her] death bingo card’.
Seneng is survived by her husband and daughter.
