A California art teacher died from rabies after an encounter with a bat in her classroom

A California art teacher died from rabies November 22, about a month after apparently being infected by a bat she found in her classroom.

A California art teacher died from rabies November 22, about a month after apparently being infected by a bat she found in her classroom.

Leah Seneng, 60, may have been bitten when she scooped up the bat to release it outside, according to her friend Laura Splotch.

“She got to her classroom early in the morning before the kids came in. She found a bat on the floor, so she scooped it up and she took it outside,” Splotch told CNN. “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. So she got it out of the classroom, and then she just went about her day, and she told her daughter about it.”

Public health officials emphasize the importance of immediate medical treatment after someone has come into contact with an animal that may carry rabies, but it’s not clear why Seneng did not seek care at the time.

About a month later, in mid-November, Seneng began feeling feverish, and her hands were shaking, Splotch said.

She was hospitalized November 18 and put in 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 said.