A Central California woman died from rabies after she was bitten by a bat, officials said Tuesday, in the first death from the saliva-passed disease in her county in more than 30 years.
Leah Seneng, 60, died Nov. 22 after the bat bit her in her classroom at Bryant Middle School in Dos Palos in Merced County on Oct. 14, friend and family spokesperson Laura Splotch told NBC News on Tuesday.
Seneng, an art teacher, saw the bat in her classroom and didn't think anything of helping it get on its way, Splotch said.
"She found it in her classroom before school started and, being a kind-hearted person, she didn't want to hurt any animals. So she just scooped it up to take it outside," Splotch said. "And that's when she thought it just scratched her and then it just flew away."
Even when Seneng felt a light prick from the bat, it didn’t cross her mind that she might have been bitten and infected with a deadly disease, Splotch said.
And while the sight of a bat in an indoor space isn't terribly uncommon in that part of rural California, Merced County Public Health spokesperson Megan Black urged caution when people come into close contact with one.
"Don't engage," Black said Tuesday. "Do not interact with it. You want to report this to your animal control and notify your medical provider" if there's contact with the animal.
Seneng didn't feel any symptoms for weeks before she went to St. Agnes Medical Center on Nov. 18 and her condition quickly worsened, Splotch said.
Early symptoms of rabies could include fever or headaches, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Deterioration from rabies can often bring unbearable brain dysfunctions such as anxiety, confusion, agitation and hallucinations, the CDC says.
"Those who do encounter bats, if they are bitten, they tend to be small and sometimes unnoticeable," Black said. "So you just want to make sure that you are consulting with your medical provider if you do encounter one."
The rabies death was the first in Fresno County since 1992, according to the deputy health officer, Dr. Trinidad Solis.
"Rabies is 100% preventable if individuals seek medical care right away," Solis told reporters last week, shortly after Seneng died.
Seneng was kind and creative and had a dark sense of humor, according to Splotch, who insisted her friend would have found a way to have a laugh about the rabies death.
"It's very shocking, still, to think that she's no longer around because of something so random," said Splotch, 61, a home health caretaker.
Splotch imagined Seneng probably having a dark laugh and quipping: "This wasn't on my death bingo card."
Seneng is survived by her husband and daughter. She enjoyed her summer vacation, which included a trip to her husband's native Bali, Splotch said.
