California teacher dies from rabies month after being bitten by bat in her classroom

A Central California woman died from rabies after she was bitten by a bat, officials said Tuesday, in the first fatality from the saliva-passed disease in her county in more than 30 years.

Leah Seneng, 60, passed away on Nov. 22 after she was bitten by the bat inside 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, according to Splotch.

“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.”

While the sight of a bat in an indoor space isn’t terribly uncommon in this part of rural California, Merced County Public Health spokesperson Megan Black urged caution when coming 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.

This rabies death was the first in Fresno County since 1992, according to 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’s passing.

Seneng was kind, creative and had a dark sense of humor, according to Splotch. As tragic as Seneng’s passing was, Splotch insisted her friend would have found away to have a laugh about it.

“It’s very shocking still to think that she’s no longer around because of something so random,” her friend said.

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. The teacher enjoyed her summer vacation, which included a trip to her husband’s native Bali, Splotch said.