California art teacher He was bitten by a bat in a classroom and died of rabies.
Leah Senen, 60, was at work when she noticed a bat trapped in a classroom at Vaillant Middle School in Dos Palos, about an hour’s drive from Fresno.
But when she tried to rescue it and release it, it suddenly bit her. aAbout a month later, she became ill and was placed in a medically induced coma.
Four days later, on November 22nd, the married mother of one passed away.
Laura Sprott, a longtime friend of Mr. Sennen, provided details of the sequence of events. ABC30 News: “I don’t know if she thought it was dead or if she saw it lying around the classroom and wanted to scoop it up and take it outside, I don’t know.
“She didn’t want to hurt it, but then either she woke up or saw a light or felt something, so she swooped a little bit and took off.”
Sproch said Sennen did not show any symptoms of rabies for several days after the attack. Early symptoms of viral illness include fever, headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, and vomiting.
It was only a few weeks later that Senen’s condition worsened and her daughter took her to the hospital.
Mr Sprock said it was “devastating” to watch Mr Sennen’s condition deteriorate, adding: “It was quite upsetting and scary because all the machines were hooked up and everything was there.” Ta.
Lia Senen, 60, an art teacher at Vaillant Junior High School in Dos Palos, was bitten by a bat when she tried to rescue it in mid-October.
The rabies virus is transmitted to humans through the saliva of infected animals such as bats, raccoons, skunks, foxes, and coyotes.
However, Sennen did not think much of the bite and did not seek medical advice after the incident.
Rabies has one of the highest mortality rates of all viruses, nearly 100% without a vaccine, with fewer than 20 recorded survivors.
The Fresno County Department of Public Health, in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), investigated rabies as a possible cause of Sennen’s illness that sent him to the hospital.
The collected samples were submitted to the state’s Viral and Rickettsial Disease Laboratory (VRDL), where evidence of rabies was confirmed.
After the incident, California Department of Public Health Commissioner and state public health officer Dr. Thomas J. Aragon said, “Bit bites are incredibly small and difficult to see or detect.” Ta. It’s important to wash your hands after touching a wild animal, check for open wounds, and seek immediate medical attention if bitten.
“It’s always safest to leave wild animals alone. Don’t approach, handle, or try to feed unknown animals.”
a GoFundMe page It was set up to support Senen’s family during this time.
Rabies kills approximately 70,000 people around the world each year, with most deaths concentrated in countries with inadequate public health resources, including extensive human and animal vaccination programs.
In the United States, there are fewer than 10 cases of rabies per year. This rate at one time exceeded 100 until the advent of vaccines for humans and pets in the late 19th century.
The vaccine can be given after exposure and is 100 percent effective if given within 48 hours after exposure.
Doctors recommend that anyone who has had contact with a bat get a rabies vaccine, as bats’ fangs are incredibly small and the bite mark may not be visible to those who have been bitten.
Popular beliefs about rabies may lead people to think that all infected animals are aggressive or show signs of foaming at the mouth, but changes in an animal’s normal behavior are early signs of rabies. It may be.
Bats that are active during the day, on the ground, or flightless should be handled with care.
Since the arrival of white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease first identified in New York in 2006, most of California’s bats have become extinct.
A white fungus develops on bats, causing the skin to disintegrate over time.
It interferes with their ability to hibernate. When you wake up early, your metabolism increases, and you use up the fat you have stored for the winter as you struggle to find food, leaving you malnourished and depleted of energy.
But bats are essential to the environment, helping to control insect populations, maintain local ecosystems, protect against disease, and protect crops from pests.
Since the arrival of white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease first identified in New York in 2006, most of California’s bats have become extinct.
Rabies affects bats as well as humans.
Once the virus reaches the brain, it binds to nerve cells, where it multiplies uncontrollably and rapidly, causing a range of symptoms starting with fever, fatigue, and headache.
As the infection progresses, breathing spasms occur, causing gasping, wheezing, and chest tightness.
It also causes spasms in the throat when trying to drink water, causing anxiety about drinking water and is also called hydrophobia. Rabies patients usually die from severe dehydration.
Rabies changes a person’s mental state, causing confusion, agitation, aggression, and in some cases seizures. As the disease worsens, paralysis begins in the limbs.
This infection almost always leads to coma and death within a few weeks of onset if the vaccine is not given promptly.
Around the world, dogs are the main vectors of rabies. However, in the United States, approximately 70% of rabies infections result from exposure to bats.
The California Department of Public Health is reminding Californians to be aware of the following wild and unfamiliar animals: Mr. Senen’s death.
If you suspect that you may have been infected with rabies after being bitten by a wild or strange animal (especially a bat or skunk), you should seek immediate medical attention.
