California teacher dies of rabies after being bitten by bat inside classroom

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/california-teacher-bat-bite-death-19949458.php

The woman died late last week, about a month after being bitten by a “presumably rabid bat,” the California Department of Public Health announced in a news release Wednesday. She was later identified by KFSN-TV as 60-year-old Leah Seneng, an art teacher at Bryant Middle School in southern Merced County. Seneng noticed the bat in her classroom sometime in mid-October, her close friend Laura Splotch told KFSN.

“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.”

Despite not showing any signs of rabies in the days following the encounter, Seneng fell ill about 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. Evidence of rabies was found in samples collected at the Fresno County hospital where Seneng died, according to CDPH. The department noted that bats are the most common source of human rabies in the United States.

“Bites from bats can be incredibly small and difficult to see or to detect,” CDPH Director Dr. Tomás Aragón said in the news release.

[Dennis Donovan]

1. Tragic.

[japple]

2. This is sad. When I asked my vet why I needed to vaccinate my indoor only cats for rabies

he replied "what if there was a bat in your attic that somehow got into your house and bit one of your cats." I guess it's worth the $12 for the shot, but I never even thought that it might be a human that got bitten.

[NutmegYankee]

3. There is a human vaccine.

But it is only given to those at most risk, like veterinarians.

[LisaL]

11. There is a very effective vaccine that can be given after the bite.

So if somebody is bitten by a bat they should absolutely get vaccinated.

[NutmegYankee]

26. That's a different thing.

There is also a preventive vaccine, but it is not given to most people.

[Kali]

53. no it is the exact same vaccine

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10181373791

[JanMichael]

18. We were exposed and got the shots. That was 10 yrs ago.

Probably need a booster if I plan on spelunking.

By the way I just looked this up and sites said - oh, the shots don't hurt.

Yes they hurt however rabies hurts a lot more.

[NutmegYankee]

27. The shots given after a bite are different.

There is a preventative vaccine like those given to dogs and cats, but it’s normally not given unless you are in a high risk profession.

[JanMichael]

32. Neither of us high risk.

What we got was the 2014 standard in NC rabies vaccination for potential rabies exposure from a bat that was in our bedroom (escaped capture and testing). The health department said there was a infected bat colony within a quarter mile of the house. They said at the time that we would be rabies vaccinated for 3 to 5 years.

Maybe we just looked rabies risky.

[Mariana]

43. My friend is an animal control officer, so she gets the rabies vaccine.

The side effects are bad enough that they don't give it to her regularly. She gets tested annually to see if she needs a booster. Last year she got bitten by a raccoon, and she got a booster then.

[Clouds Passing]

4. Leah

[Marcuse]

5. Don't know if I had three bats or a repeat visitor. I shooed the first two and finally slew the third one under my bed.

[Maru Kitteh]

28. No wonder DeVinci loved to draw bats. They're designed so beautifully. Nt

[LeftInTX]

34. You're supposed to get the vaccine!

This is the #1 cause of rabies in the US. Doesn't matter whether they bit you or not!

[Hassin Bin Sober]

47. Yep. If the bat is in a room where someone is sleeping they should be vaccinated.

It’s rare but it happens.

[wolfie001]

6. So any close encounter with a bat may trigger a rabies treatment

That's how I'm interpreting this. A rare occurrence but a bite can go unnoticed. Scary.

[Shermann]

8. It's very reckless to handle a bat with your bare hands. nt

[LisaL]

10. We don't know what she tried to handle it with.

NT

[LisaL]

9. It should trigger a rabies treatment.

Bat inside the house is likely to be rabid, and bites could be hard to see because they are small.

[Marcuse]

12. The County recommended family rabies treatment after removing a bat from a friend's house.

[LisaL]

13. Rabies treatment is a vaccine.

It has to be given before the symptoms appear to be effective. Once the symptoms appear it's too late, rabies are nearly always fatal if not vaccinated after the bite.

[wolfie001]

16. Yes! Early! Don't wait for symptoms!

[paleotn]

23. Absolutely. Should be common knowledge

In North America, bats are a reservoir for rabies, same as racoons and skunks. Any bite from them should be followed by rabies treatment.

[LeftInTX]

35. Contact with bat or bat in the house!

Assume if there is a bat in your house that you had contact with it. Critters can be stealth and by the time you see them, it may have been in your room while you slept. (Like rats 🐀 . By the time you see them, they've been there awhile)

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

49. attended a big college in Northern California. bats would get into the library and hang on the shelves

[LeftInTX]

51. Maybe rabies in bats are on the rise?

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/p0106-human-rabies.html

Three cases within five weeks with bats in the home. No bite noted.


Bats in the US which migrate into Mexico roost with vampire bats. As the vampire bats get closer to the US, maybe it is increasing rabies?

They are within 20 miles and believed to be in the US.

[LisaL]

7. Despite not showing any sign of rabies in the days following the encounter?

There is an incubation period, and someone is not expected to show any signs during the incubation period. So not showing any signs in the day after the encounter shouldn't be assumed to mean that the person was not infected.

[wolfie001]

19. Yippers!

I'm not into horror movies cause real life is scary enough for moi.

[Laurelin]

14. Rabies shots are available to anyone exposed

My daughter is a veterinarian and had to get hers before she started vet school. I worked for a vet and got mine. My husband was bitten when he tried (and failed) to catch a feral kitten. Kittens don't often carry rabies but it's not worth the risk so he got rabies shots. Any time you handle a bat, you should get the shots! Rabies shots have a bad reputation because the really old fashioned ones were awful, but now it's just a series of shots in the arm. Easy.
When I worked for a vet in Texas I saw two dogs and a cat die of rabies. It's really an awful way to die.

[LisaL]

15. I actually got rabies vaccine as a child after I got bitten by a dog (who in all likelihood wasn't rabid, but better

safe than sorry). Back then (when I was a child) it was an awful kind.

[wolfie001]

17. I remember "Shots in the stomach"

I was a little kid in the '60s. It sounded scary.

[Silent Type]

24. My granddad, WWI vet and farmer, went through a series of those. Glad to know it's not in stomach anymore.

[LisaL]

29. Yep, I am still scared of dogs to this day, after the whole

rabies vaccine ordeal.

[Maru Kitteh]

31. "Shots in the stomach" That phrase was seared into my memory when Mom told me

about my sister who had to have them after a neighborhood dog bit her.

[Laurelin]

21. So glad that changed!

For me, pneumonia shots were much worse than rabies shots. Sorry for your experience.

[FakeNoose]

25. Thank you for the reminder that ANYONE who gets bitten should be tested, at the very least

... but the modern rabies shots aren't the horrible experience they used to be.

I'm a little shocked that the teacher in the OP story didn't take the time to see a doctor about it.
How sad and unnecessary!

[LeftInTX]

36. There is no test for rabies. Only shots.

[Mariana]

44. Yes. The animal can be tested if you catch it - but only after it's killed.

There was a story a few years ago about a fox in Washington, DC that was launching herself out of the bushes and biting people. She bit nine people before she was captured. Of course she was euthanized and tested, and some folks were angry about that, saying she should have been quarantined and observed for signs of rabies. Hello? She bit nine people. That's a sign of rabies.

[milestogo]

20. I was surprised to learn that there is a delayed reaction.

[LisaL]

40. Like with other viruses, there is an incubation period, that

can last months with rabies, during which victim doesn't show symptoms. For rabies vaccine (after the fact) to be effective, it has to be given before victim shows symptoms. Once symptoms appear, it's too late. There are very few rabies survivors from those who didn't get the vaccine, rabies are almost 100% lethal.

[milestogo]

48. It takes 3-8 weeks to develop in a dog.

I just found this out. Its weird... I always thought it showed up pretty quickly if the dog was infected. So if you get bitten by an asymptomatic dog, it could still be carrying rabies (if its unvaccinated).

[hunter]

22. Sad story, and a link to information everyone should know.

Even if you aren't sure whether you've been bitten, it is recommended to seek medical attention. For instance, persons who find a bat indoors, particularly in areas where people were sleeping, should discuss rabies treatment with their health care provider even if they are not aware of any bites or other contact with the bat. Additionally, if you find a bat near a person who can't report a bite, such as a small child or a person with a disability, assume that person has been bitten.

-- more --

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/NR24-040.aspx

[synni]

30. My story's similar, but a happy ending

At my office a few years ago, I went into the ladies' room, and thought the cleaning people had left a filthy rag on the floor. I went to pick it up...and saw that it had tiny feet. A bat!

I backed out of the room slowly. Although I was alone in the building most of the day, I put a warning sign on the door, telling people to use the unisex bathroom if they came in.

I checked half an hour later, to see if the bat was dead, but it had rolled over in its sleep. So I called the maintenance man, and he got rid of it.

But a sleeping bat looks a LOT like a dirty rag. I can see how it would be easy for someone to grab it without thinking, as I almost did.

I feel so bad for this poor teacher. RIP.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

59. glad you didnt get bit!

[LetMyPeopleVote]

33. Bats should never be handled

I still remember the lecture that a fish and wildlife officer gave to my boy scouts 25 or so years ago. If a bat is on the ground and is not flying then it is best to assume that it is sick and may have rabies. Rabies is no fun.

Link to tweet

[Self Esteem]

37. Rabies is maybe the most terrifying virus that we know of.

It's almost certain lethal, especially if it's not treated. Problem is, the symptoms can take some time to show and by the time they do, you're pretty much fucked. There's no coming back from it. Like, at that point you're dead. You just have to wait out the painful, awful process.

A few years ago, I read a story about a boy who was bit by a bat (I think) and didn't think much of it. His personality began changing, though, as he became very paranoid and by the time the parents and doctors figured out what had happened, it was too late.

Even if you don't think what bit you had rabies, you gotta get the shot ASAP or you're cooked.

[LisaL]

41. If RFKjr got bit by a rabid bat, would he get a vaccine or not?

Would he still argue that vaccines are dangerous?

[LeftInTX]

46. The world would be a better place!

Especially if he was locked in a room with Trump!

[NickB79]

38. My grandma was attacked by a rabid skunk last summer in Minnesota

It chased her through her flower garden and scratched the hell out of her legs, but didn't spray. Thank God for the rabies vaccine she got.

[LeftInTX]

39. Nowadays rabies shots are nothing.

My friend had to get them after witnessing a cat fight or a dog versus cat fight. Either way two were fighting. She wasn't bit.

[Kali]

55. shots are easy, paying for them mey not be

I had to fight insurance co to pay for ours. over $2K each. and that was 4 years ago.

[LeftInTX]

56. My friend has Tricare. She didn't say anything

about insurance.

[Kali]

57. and some jurisdictions may cover it

my son's medicaid paid for post exposure, my ACA insurance denied preventive for myself and husband at first, but relented after the letter I submitted (always appeal denials!)

[LeftInTX]

58. Her case was considered an exposure.

She's the kind of person who gets flustered easy, so I can see her saying,, "What? Wait? Was I biten?" (Even though she very likely wasn't)

[Abolishinist]

42. We need to know RFK Jr's take on this before

jumping to conclusions. For example, surviving a rabies infection might prevent autism and other diseases.

[LeftInTX]

45. If I was clever, I would write a Spurious News

report about RFK Jr and rabies vaccines. Ban them in animals and humans. "Make Old Yeller Great Again"

[TheProle]

52. Harrowing

[RockRaven]

54. Oh FFS!!! "*Despite* not showing any signs of rabies in the days following..."

NOBODY shows signs early/immediately! That phrasing implies things which are dangerously misleading.