A Fresno County girl died after being bitten by a rabid bat within the center college classroom the place she taught artwork, based on public well being officers and published reports.
The Fresno County Department of Public Health reported final week {that a} county resident had died from rabies after being bitten by a bat in Merced County.
Health officers didn’t title the sufferer, however pals recognized her as Leah Seneng, 60, an artwork instructor at Bryant Middle School within the small Merced County metropolis of Dos Palos, based on reviews in the Fresno Bee and KFSN-TV.
Seneng discovered a bat in her classroom a couple of month in the past, her friend, Laura Splotch, told KFSN. The bat bit Seneng, and though she didn’t present any signs of rabies within the following days, she fell sick a couple of month later, Splotch mentioned.
Four days after checking herself into the hospital, Seneng died on Nov. 22, based on her buddy and county well being officers.
Describing her buddy as a “nice explorer” who liked the outside, Splotch mentioned Seneng was possible making an attempt to assist the bat out of her classroom when it bit her.
Merced County well being officers mentioned they have been notifying individuals who could have been uncovered as properly.
Transmitted by the saliva of contaminated animals, rabies is “virtually all the time deadly” if it isn’t handled earlier than signs seem, Fresno County officers warned. Bats and skunks are frequent transmitters of the illness.
Health officers mentioned bat bites are sometimes too small to be detected. Anyone who comes into contact with a bat, alive or lifeless, ought to report the encounter to their healthcare supplier. Anyone who wakes up with a dwell or lifeless bat of their room also needs to report it.
