California teacher dies after contracting rabies from bat bite: 'She was a lover of life'
A California teacher died a month after contracting rabies from a bat that bit her, and now health officials are warning the public about the extremely deadly disease.
A Fresno County resident died after being bitten by a "presumably rabid bat" in Merced County last month, according to the California Department of Public Health.
Multiple local health departments worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate rabies as a possible cause of the illness in mid-November, and samples collected at the hospital confirmed the rabies diagnosis, the health department said.
Laura Splotch told KFSN-TV that her friend, 60-year-old Leah Seneng, is the woman who contracted rabies and died on Nov. 22. Seneng was a teacher at Byrant Middle School in Dos Palos, California, Splotch told the outlet.
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Friend of teacher who died: 'She was a lover of life'
While speaking with KFSN-TV, Splotch said that her friend of 15 years "was a lover of life."
"She spent a lot of time in the mountains where her mother lived," Splotch said. "She loved to explore the world, she's a great explorer."
Seneng found the bat that possibly bit her in her classroom around mid-October, according to Splotch.
"I don't know if she thought it was dead or what 'cause it was laying around her classroom and she was trying to scoop it up and take it outside. She didn't wanna harm it. But that's when, I guess it woke up or saw the light or whatever it swooped around a bit and it took off," Splotch said.
About a month after the bite, Seneng began feeling ill and her daughter had to take her to a hospital where she was put into a coma, Splotch told KFSN-TV.
Splotch organized a GoFundMe for Seneng's funeral expenses, which had raised over $6,000 as of Monday.
CDPH: 'Leave wild animals alone'
Dying from rabies is rare in the U.S., with less than 10 cases identified each year, the California health department said. Although not common, thousands of people receive preventive treatment for rabies every year after a bite or other direct contact with an animal possibly carrying the disease, with the most common source being bats, according to the agency.
“Bites from bats can be incredibly small and difficult to see or to detect. It is important to wash your hands and look for any open wounds after touching a wild animal, and to seek immediate medical care if bitten," Tomás Aragón, the agency's director and state public health officer said. “It is always safest to leave wild animals alone. Do not approach, touch, or try to feed any animals that you don't know."
If a bat is found, regardless if it's dead or alive, the agency recommends residents take the following precautions:
Do not touch the bat; contact local animal control to remove or collect it. Keep pets and family members away from the area.
If touched by a bat, wash the area with soap and water. If bitten, immediately contact a healthcare provider for additional guidance.
Report the incident to a local health department.
Pay attention to a bat that can't fly, a wild animal that seems "unusually tame" or unafraid to approach people, a nocturnal animal that is active during the day and a pet that has trouble walking, eating or drinking.
What are the symptoms of rabies?
According to the CDC, the first symptom of rabies, called "prodrome," could feel like the flu and include weakness, discomfort, fever or headache. People may also notice a discomfort, prickling or itching sensation at the site of the bite, the government agency said, adding that these symptoms can remain for several days.
Typically, severe sickness appears within two weeks of the first symptoms when the rabies virus causes brain dysfunction, the CDC said. Rabies symptoms in humans may include one or more of the following, and once symptoms begin, it is almost always fatal:
Anxiety
Insomnia
Confusion
Agitation
Delirium
Hallucinations
Hydrophobia (fear of water)
Hypersalivation
Seizures
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rabies virus kills California teacher bitten by bat in classroom
