60-year-old Leah Seneng has died from rabies following a bite she sustained after a bat got into her classroom.

Seneng was an artist teacher at Bryant Middle School in Dos Palos. In October, she found an unexpected animal in her classroom: a bat. The bat then bit the art teacher.

Laura Splotch, a friend of Seneng, told a local California station, “I don’t know if she thought it was dead or what because it was lying around her classroom, and she was trying to scoop it up and take it outside…She didn’t want to 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” (Today).

It was said that Seneng had not “shown any initial symptoms of rabies” (People) following the bite but fell ill one month later and went into a coma after being admitted to the hospital, where she, unfortunately, died four days later on November 22.

Rabies is a viral disease that is spread to people and pets through bites, cuts, or scratches by an infected animal. It is normally fatal, as there is no cure, but it is preventable by vaccines and human/animal safety. According to the CDC:

The animals most often found with rabies in the U.S. include:

• bats
• raccoons
• skunks
• foxes

While rabid dogs in the US are uncommon, around the world, domestic dogs are responsible for more than 95% of the estimated 70,000 human deaths that occur each year. (CDC)

Symptoms of Rabies range from:

• Fever

• Headache

• Nausea

• Vomiting

• Agitation

• Anxiety

• Confusion

• Hyperactivity

• Difficulty swallowing

• Excessive salivation

• Fear brought on by attempts to drink fluids because of difficulty swallowing water

• Fear brought on by air blown on the face

• Hallucinations

• Insomnia

• Partial paralysis

It is possible symptoms may not show until days later,, but it is encouraged to seek medical care immediately if you have been exposed to rabies.

Splotch said, “She was a lover of life. She spent a lot of time in the mountains where her mother lived. She loved to explore the world” (Today). Seneng will be missed by her family, friends, and students.