California Teacher Succumbs to Rabies After Bat Encounter #

A California art teacher, Leah Seneng, passed away from rabies on November 22, about a month after being infected by a bat in her classroom. The 60-year-old may have been bitten while she tried to release the bat outside.

She found the bat early in the morning and, believing it to be harmless, scooped it up and took it outside. Unbeknownst to her, the bat may have bitten or scratched her. Without suspecting any danger, she continued her day and mentioned the incident to her daughter.

Seneng began to experience symptoms like fever and shaking hands about a month after the encounter. She was hospitalized on November 18 and subsequently placed in a medically induced coma. After four days in the coma, Seneng passed away at Saint Agnes Medical Center in Fresno, surrounded by close family and friends.

Her husband and daughter were by her side, with music from Seneng’s playlist playing in the background. Known as an experienced hiker, world traveler, and talented artist, Seneng was a devoted educator at Bryant Middle School in Dos Palos.

Following her death, the local school district expressed shock that her passing was linked to rabies, likely contracted from the bat bite. They reiterated the known presence of bats and wildlife around school grounds and stressed the importance of reporting such sightings.

Rabies is transmitted through direct contact with an infected animal’s saliva or nervous system tissue and can be fatal if untreated. In the U.S., most rabies infections come from bats. Experts warn that bites from bats can often go unnoticed due to their small size.

Approximately 60,000 people each year receive post-exposure prophylaxis after potential rabies exposure. Those who have not been vaccinated against rabies require a combination of immune globulins and four doses of the vaccine over two weeks.