A woman in California died from rabies after being bitten by a bat, officials reported on Tuesday, noting that this is the first death from the saliva-transmitted disease in her county in over 30 years.
Leah Seneng, 60, died on Nov. 22, following a bat bite she received in her classroom at Bryant Middle School in Dos Palos, Merced County, on Oct. 14, as confirmed by her family spokesperson, Laura Splotch.
“She found it in her classroom before school started and, being a kind-hearted person, she didn’t want to hurt any animals. So she just scooped it up to take it outside,” Splotch reported. “And that’s when she thought it just scratched her and then it just flew away.”
Splotch added that even when Seneng felt a slight prick from the bat, she never suspected she had been bitten or exposed to a potentially fatal disease.
Because of this tragic event, Merced County Public Health spokesperson Megan Black advised caution when people have close contact with bats, since encountering a bat indoors isn’t unusual in that part of rural California.
“Don’t engage, do not interact with it. You want to report this to your animal control and notify your medical provider if there’s contact with the animal,” Black said Tuesday.
Splotch stated that Seneng did not experience any symptoms for several days before seeking treatment at St. Agnes Medical Center on Nov. 18, after which her condition rapidly worsened.
According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, early symptoms of rabies could include fever or headaches, and that also as the disease progresses, it often leads to severe brain dysfunctions, including anxiety, confusion, agitation, and hallucinations.
“Those who do encounter bats, if they are bitten, they tend to be small and sometimes unnoticeable,” Black added. “So you just want to make sure that you are consulting with your medical provider if you do encounter one.”
According to Deputy Health Officer Dr. Trinidad Solis, this rabies-related death is the first in Fresno County since 1992.
“Rabies is 100% preventable if individuals seek medical attention immediately,” Solis told reporters last week, shortly after Seneng’s death.
