California Teacher Bitten by a Bat in Her Classroom Dies from Rabies

A California art teacher recently died of a rabies infection approximately a month after she was bitten by a bat inside her classroom.

According to KFSN-TV, Leah Seneng, 60, an art teacher at Bryan Middle School, noticed the bat in her classroom in mid-October.

“I don’t know if she thought it was dead or what cause it was laying around her classroom and she was trying to scoop it up and take it outside,” Splotch told the outlet. “She didn’t wanna harm it. But that’s when, I guess it woke up or saw the light or whatever, it swooped around a bit and it took off.”

Seneng became ill approximately a month later. Her daughter took her to the hospital, where she was put into a medically induced coma. She died four days later on Nov. 22. According to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), samples collected at the Fresno County hospital, where Seneng died, contained evidence of rabies.

“Bites from bats can be incredibly small and difficult to see or to detect,” CDPH Director Dr. Tomás Aragón said in a news release. “It is important to wash your hands and look for any open wounds after touching a wild animal, and to seek immediate medical care if bitten. It is always safest to leave wild animals alone. Do not approach, touch, or try to feed any animals that you don’t know.”

A GoFundMe fundraiser has been organized to help Seneng’s family with the cost of funeral expenses.