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 revealed experiences.
The Fresno County Division of Public Well being reported final week {that a} county resident had died from rabies after being bitten by a bat in Merced County.
Well being officers didn’t title the sufferer, however associates recognized her as Leah Seneng, 60, an artwork instructor at Bryant Center College within the small Merced County metropolis of Dos Palos, based on experiences in the Fresno Bee and KFSN-TV.
Seneng discovered a bat in her classroom a couple of month in the past, her pal, Laura Splotch, informed KFSN. The bat bit Seneng, and though she didn’t present any signs of rabies within the following days, she fell ailing a couple of month later, Splotch mentioned.
4 days after checking herself into the hospital, Seneng died on Nov. 22, based on her pal and county well being officers.
Describing her pal as a “nice explorer” who cherished the outside, Splotch mentioned Seneng was probably attempting to assist the bat out of her classroom when it bit her.
Merced County well being officers mentioned they had been notifying individuals who could have been uncovered as effectively.
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 widespread transmitters of the illness.
Well being officers mentioned bat bites are sometimes too small to be detected. Anybody who comes into contact with a bat, alive or lifeless, ought to report the encounter to their healthcare supplier. Anybody who wakes up with a dwell or lifeless bat of their room must also report it.