DOS PALOS, Calif. (AP) — A central California instructor died final month after she was bitten by a bat inside her classroom that presumably had rabies, officers and the lady’s pal mentioned.
In the wake of Leah Seneng’s loss of life on Nov. 22, public well being officers are warning the general public in regards to the risks of bats, that are the commonest supply of human rabies within the U.S. Even although fewer than 10 folks within the nation die from rabies annually, it’s nearly all the time deadly if not handled rapidly.
Seneng, 60, discovered a bat in her classroom in mid-October, her friend Laura Splotch told KFSN-TV. She tried to scoop it up and take it outdoors nevertheless it bit her, Splotch mentioned.
Seneng didn’t instantly have signs of rabies however she fell unwell weeks later and was taken to the hospital, the place she was put right into a medically-inducted coma and died days later, Splotch instructed the TV station.
The Dos Palos-Oro Loma Joint Unified School District, in an announcement, referred to as Seneng “a devoted and compassionate educator.”
“We have been shocked to study that Leah’s passing was associated to contracting rabies, almost definitely from being bitten by a bat and we’re cooperating with the Merced County Department of Public Health on their investigation,” the assertion mentioned. “We stay and work in a neighborhood identified to have bats and different wildlife round faculty grounds, and we are going to proceed to assist educate our neighborhood relating to the risks related to coming into direct contact with any wild animal, together with bats.”
Merced County confirmed the rabies publicity however, resulting from privateness legal guidelines, didn’t launch the deceased’s title. The California Department of Public Health confirmed that the sufferer died after contracting rabies.
