‘Devastated’ friends of teacher killed by rabid bat reveal shocking rabies symptoms she ignored

The friends and family of a California teacher who died after being bitten by a rabid bat have detailed her tragic final days.

Leah Seneng, 60, was attacked by the creature when she tried to move it from her classroom before classes started on the morning of October 14.

It was just a little pinch and the art teacher continued teaching Byrant Middle School for more than a month before the rabies virus took hold.

Laura Splotch, a long-time friend of Ms Seneng, told DailyMail.com that the teacher “began exhibiting flu-like symptoms”, which became severe on November 18.

Ms Seneng’s daughter took her to the emergency room, where she deteriorated rapidly and was placed in a medically induced coma for four days.

At this point she could only communicate through “hand squeezes” and “eye movements,” Ms. Splotch said. “On Friday the family was told she wouldn’t make it through the night.”

Ms Splotch said she received a message from Ms Seneng’s daughter telling her of Ms Seneng’s impending death. Then she drove to her friend for the last time.

Ms Splotch said it was “devastating” to see Ms Seneng’s condition deteriorate. “With all the machines hooked up and everything, it was quite disturbing and scary.”

She added that what made it so shocking was that “it seemed quite sudden, to me as her friend.”

‘For her family, however, they had watched her get sicker and sicker, not knowing what was going on until it was too late.’

Ms Splotch added: “Leah was an experienced outdoorswoman and world traveler. It just didn’t occur to her that the little bat bite was dangerous.

“This is why I think it is important for others to note that any animal bite can contain rabies and it is essential to get treatment right away.”

Mrs. Splotch is grateful to have seen her friend before she died.

‘It was so hard to see her like that. Leah was in a coma, but we were told she could hear us, but couldn’t communicate.

‘My friend said she felt Leah squeeze her when she spoke to her and I saw Leah’s eyes flutter as I spoke to her.

‘We hoped she knew we were there for her. We left around 7:45 pm and got the call at 9:30 pm that she was passing. I am grateful that I was able to say goodbye.’

If rabies is caught early, it can be treated with a vaccine. But if the virus can take hold, the mortality rate is almost 100 percent.

The virus enters the body through an open wound, usually through the bite or scratch of an infected animal.

It then replicates in muscle cells near the site of infection and then travels along the nerves to the central nervous system.

This process can take anywhere from a week to a month. But as the disease worsens, paralysis occurs, starting with the limbs, then the brain and other organs.

The infection almost always results in coma and death within weeks of onset if a vaccine is not administered quickly.

Mrs. Splotch describes the morning her friend was bitten: “I don’t know if she thought the bat was dead or what caused it to be in her classroom and she tried to pick it up and take it outside.

“She didn’t mean to hurt it. But then I guess he woke up or saw the light or whatever. He spun around a bit and took off.”

Ms Splotch said even when Ms Seneng was seriously ill on November 18, she did not want to go to hospital and caused a fuss.

“Even then, she didn’t want to go to the hospital, but her daughter insisted and took her to the emergency room at Saint Agnes Medical Center in Fresno,” she said.

‘She really wasn’t doing well at the moment. That day she tested positive for rabies and the next day doctors put her in a medically induced coma.”

The rabies virus is transmitted to humans through the saliva of infected animals, including bats, raccoons, skunks, foxes and coyotes.

Following the death, the California Department of Public Health issued a warning to locals in the area.

The agency’s director and state public health officer, Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, said: ‘Bites from bats can be incredibly small and difficult to see or detect.

‘It is important to wash your hands and look for open wounds after handling a wild animal, and to seek immediate medical attention if you are bitten.

‘It is always safest to leave wild animals alone. Do not approach, touch or try to feed animals you do not know.’

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Mrs Seneng’s family during this period.

Rabies kills about 70,000 people worldwide every year, although most deaths are concentrated in countries with inadequate public health resources, such as far-reaching human and animal vaccination programs.

Fewer than ten cases of rabies occur each year in the US.

The vaccine can be given after a person has been exposed and is 100 percent effective if given within 48 hours of exposure.

A bat’s canines are incredibly small, and someone bitten by the animal may not be able to see the mark. That’s why doctors recommend anyone who has come into contact with a bat to get a rabies vaccine.

Although common beliefs about rabies may lead people to think that all infected animals are aggressive or show signs of foaming at the mouth, changes in an animal’s usual behavior can be early indicators of rabies.

A bat that is active during the day, is found on the ground, or appears unable to fly should be treated with caution.

Dogs are the main carriers of rabies worldwide. But in the U.S., about 70 percent of rabies infections are caused by exposure to bats.