Horror scenes in which a teacher in California dies after being bitten by a rabid creature in her classroom
An art teacher in California did just that died of rabies after being bitten by a bat in her classroom.
Leah Seneng, 60, was at work when she noticed a bat stuck in her classroom at Byrant Middle School in Dos Palos, about an hour’s drive from Fresno.
But when she tried to save it and release it, it suddenly bit her. AAbout a month later she became ill and was put into a medically induced coma.
Four days later, on November 22, the married mother of one died.
Details of the series of events were shared by Laura Splotch, a long-time friend of Ms Seneng ABC30 News: “I don’t know if she thought it was dead or why it was in her classroom and she tried to pick it up and bring it outside.
“She didn’t mean to hurt it. But then I guess he woke up or saw the light or whatever. He spun around a bit and took off.”
Ms Splotch said Ms Seneng showed no symptoms of rabies in the days after the attack. The first symptoms of the viral disease are fever, headache, malaise, loss of appetite or vomiting.
It was only weeks later that Ms Seneng’s condition worsened and her daughter took her to hospital.
Ms Splotch said it was “devastating” to see Ms Seneng’s condition deteriorate. “With all the machines hooked up and everything, it was quite disturbing and scary.”
Leah Seneng, 60, who taught art at Byrant Middle School in Dos Palos, tried to save a bat in mid-October, but it bit her
The rabies virus is transmitted to humans through the saliva of infected animals, including bats, raccoons, skunks, foxes and coyotes.
However, Ms Seneng did not think much of the bite and did not seek medical advice after the incident.
Rabies has one of the highest mortality rates of any virus – almost 100 percent without a vaccine – with fewer than twenty documented survivors.
The Fresno County Department of Public Health worked with the California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to investigate rabies as a possible cause of Ms. Seneng’s illness when she was taken to the hospital.
The collected samples were submitted to the state’s Viral and Rickettsial Disease Laboratory (VRDL), where evidence of rabies was confirmed.
After the incident, Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, director of the California Department of Public Health and state public health officer: “Bites from bats can be incredibly small and difficult to see or detect. It is important to wash your hands and look for open wounds after handling a wild animal, and to seek immediate medical attention if you are bitten.
‘It is always safest to leave wild animals alone. Do not approach, touch or try to feed animals you do not know.’
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Mrs Seneng’s family during this period.
Rabies kills about 70,000 people worldwide every year, although most deaths are concentrated in countries with inadequate public health resources, such as far-reaching human and animal vaccination programs.
Fewer than ten cases of rabies occur each year in the US. That percentage was once more than 100 before the advent of human and pet vaccines in the late 1800s.
The vaccine can be given after a person has been exposed and is 100 percent effective if given within 48 hours of exposure.
A bat’s canines are incredibly small, and someone bitten by the animal may not be able to see the mark. That’s why doctors recommend anyone who has come into contact with a bat to get a rabies vaccine.
Although common beliefs about rabies may lead people to think that all infected animals are aggressive or show signs of foaming at the mouth, changes in an animal’s usual behavior can be early indicators of rabies.
A bat that is active during the day, is found on the ground, or appears unable to fly should be treated with caution.
Large portions of California’s bat population have been wiped out since the arrival of white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease first discovered in New York in 2006.
It causes a white fungal growth on the bats, causing their skin to disintegrate over time.
It disrupts their ability to hibernate. Waking up early kicks in their metabolism and uses up the fat reserves they have stored for the winter as they struggle to find food, leaving them malnourished and lacking energy.
But bats are essential to the environment and keep insect populations in check, which helps maintain an area’s ecosystem, protect against disease and protect crops from pests.
Large portions of California’s bat population have been wiped out since the arrival of white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease first discovered in New York in 2006.
Rabies affects bats in the same way it affects humans.
Once the virus reaches the brain, it attaches to nerve cells where it can multiply uncontrollably and rapidly, causing a constellation of symptoms starting with fever, fatigue and headache.
As the infection progresses, it leads to respiratory spasms that cause gasping, wheezing, and tightness in the chest.
It also causes spasms in the throat while swallowing when trying to drink water, causing a person to worry about drinking water, also known as hydrophobia. People with rabies usually die severely dehydrated.
Rabies changes a person’s mental state, causing confusion, agitation and aggression, and in some cases, seizures. As the disease worsens, paralysis occurs, starting with the limbs.
The infection almost always results in coma and death within weeks of onset if a vaccine is not administered quickly.
Dogs are the main carriers of rabies worldwide. But in the U.S., about 70 percent of rabies infections are caused by exposure to bats.
The California Department of Public Health reminds Californians to use caution when tracking wild or unknown animals Death of Mrs. Seneng.
If they suspect they may have been exposed to rabies through a bite from wild or unfamiliar animals (especially bats and skunks), they are urged to seek immediate medical attention.
