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Dec. 3 (UPI) -- A California art teacher has died after she was apparently bitten and infected with rabies by a bat she found inside her classroom. Leah Seneng, 60, died on Nov. 22, about one month after she discovered the bat inside her Fresno classroom and "scooped it up" to take outside "before the kids came in."
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"I guess it bit her, or she maybe thought it scratched her or something, and then it took off. It flew away, and she didn't think anything of it, not thinking that it was sick or anything," Seneng's friend Laura Splotch told CNN.
Seneng was hospitalized at Saint Agnes Medical Center in Fresno on Nov. 18 after she began shaking and spiked a fever. She was put into a medically induced coma the next day.
"She was in the coma for four days and that's when we all got the call to come and say our goodbyes," Splotch added.
The California Department of Public Health collected samples from Seneng at the hospital and confirmed she died from rabies.
"Bites from bats can be incredibly small and difficult to see or to detect. 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," said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer, Dr. Tomás J. Aragón said in a statement.
"It is always safest to leave wild animals alone. Do not approach, touch or try to feed any animals that you don't know," Aragón added.
Rabies is a viral disease that is deadly to mammals and humans who do not receive immediate medical care. Symptoms typically take about three to eight weeks after exposure to an animal's saliva or a bite to appear.
"Rabies is 100% preventable if individuals seek medical care right away," Fresno County deputy health officer Dr. Trinidad Solis told reporters last week. This was the first rabies death in Fresno County since 1992.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bats are the most commonly reported animals to have rabies. Signs that could indicate a bat has rabies include activity during the day, a bat that is that is found inside a building or on the ground and a bat that is unable to fly or is easily approached.
The CDC says "If you see strange bat behavior, get in touch with animal control or your local public health department."
Seneng worked at Bryant Middle School in Dos Palos and was remembered as a "dedicated and compassionate educator."
The Dos Palos-Oro Loma Joint Unified School District said it is cooperating with the Merced County Department of Public Health and their investigation.
"We live and work in a community known to have bats and other wildlife around school grounds," the district said in a statement, "and we will continue to help educate our community regarding the dangers associated with coming into direct contact with any wild animal, including bats."
