California Teacher Dies from Rare Rabies Case After Bat Bite in Classroom

Leah Seneng, a 60-year-old art teacher, succumbed to rabies a month after encountering a bat in her middle school classroom.

Leah Seneng, an art teacher at Bryant Middle School in Dos Palos, was bitten by a bat in mid-October while attempting to remove it from her classroom.
Rabies symptoms appeared nearly a month after the bite, leading to her hospitalization and death on November 22, despite being placed in a medically induced coma.
Health officials confirmed rabies as the cause of death, marking Fresno County's first human rabies case in over 30 years.
Bats are the most common source of human rabies in the U.S., and health experts stress the importance of avoiding contact with wild animals and seeking immediate medical care after potential exposure.
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help Seneng’s family with funeral expenses, as colleagues and friends remember her as a lover of life and exploration.