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California teacher dies after being bitten by a bat inside her classroom

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Minnesota health officials investigating rare rabies death


Minnesota health officials investigating rare rabies death

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A central California teacher died last month after she was bitten by a bat that presumably had rabies inside her classroom, officials and a friend of the woman, marking the third such fatality in North America in recent weeks.  

In the wake of Leah Seneng’s death on Nov. 22, public health officials are warning the public about the dangers of bats, which are the most common source of human rabies in the U.S. Even though fewer than 10 people in the country die from rabies each year, it is almost always fatal if not treated quickly.

Seneng, 60, found a bat in her classroom in mid-October, her friend Laura Splotch told KFSN-TV. She tried to scoop it up and take it outside but it bit her, Splotch said.

Seneng did not immediately have symptoms of rabies but she fell ill weeks later and was taken to the hospital, where she was put into a medically-induced coma and died days later, Splotch told the TV station.

“It’s devastating to see her in that state, with all the machines hooked up and everything, it was pretty upsetting and scary,” Splotch told KFSN.

According to her Facebook profile, Seneng was an art teacher at Bryant Middle School in Dos Palos, California. The Dos Palos-Oro Loma Joint Unified School District, called Seneng “a dedicated and compassionate educator.”

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Leah Seneng

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“We were shocked to learn that Leah’s passing was related to contracting rabies, most likely from being bitten by a bat and we are cooperating with the Merced County Department of Public Health on their investigation,” the school district said in a statement. “We live and work in a community known to have bats and other wildlife around school grounds, and we will continue to help educate our community regarding the dangers associated with coming into direct contact with any wild animal, including bats.”

Merced County confirmed the rabies exposure but, due to privacy laws, did not release the deceased’s name. The California Department of Public Health confirmed that the victim died after contracting 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,” CDPH Director 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.”   

At least two other people in North America have died of rabies after encountering a bat in recent weeks. Last month, health officials in Canada announced that a child died from rabies after being exposed to a bat in their room. About a week before that, officials announced a U.S. citizen died from rabies after being exposed to a bat in western Minnesota in July.

How is rabies spread and what are the symptoms?

Rabies is a deadly viral infection that attacks the nervous system in humans and animals, causing brain and spinal cord inflammation. It is typically spread to humans through direct contact with the saliva of an infected animal through scratching or biting.

Rabies is commonly found in bats, raccoons, foxes, skunks and some household pets. Without proper and prompt treatment after symptoms appear, rabies is nearly 100 percent fatal in both animals and humans, according to Haldimand and Norfolk Health Services, where the child was admitted. 

Treatment has proven to be nearly 100% effective at preventing the disease if someone is exposed, though it must start before symptoms appear.  

Bats pose a unique risk because their scratches can be hard to notice due to their small teeth, and bats cannot be vaccinated through provincial programs, health officials said.

If bitten by an animal suspected of carrying the virus, health officials advise washing the wound thoroughly with soap and water for 15 minutes and immediately seeking medical attention.

According to the CDC, the incubation period of rabies may last from weeks to months, depending on the location of exposure, severity of exposure and age.

“The first symptoms of rabies, called prodrome, maybe like the flu, including weakness, discomfort, fever, or headache. There also may be discomfort, prickling, or an itching sensation at the site of the bite. These symptoms may last for several days,” the CDC says.



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President-elect Trump makes first overseas trip since election

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President-elect Trump makes first overseas trip since election – CBS News


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President-elect Donald Trump is making his first overseas trip since the election, joining world leaders for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral, which was destroyed by fire. President Biden is not there, but first lady Jill Biden is in attendance.

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A Navy veteran thought she was having a heart attack. A trip to the emergency room found something else.

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While having an uncharacteristically quiet day at home, Navy veteran Mary Jo Burkhard began to feel strange symptoms that she thought could be signs of a heart attack. 

The 71-year-old knew men and women had different symptoms for sudden cardiac events. Burkhard was determined not to ignore possible warning signs. The pain in her back and chest were alarming enough to go to an urgent care, and when she threw up the painkiller she was prescribed, she immediately went to the hospital. 

Emergency room doctors ran tests, including a CAT scan. They found she wasn’t having a heart attack — but there was a three-inch cancerous tumor on her pancreas. After two days of anxious waiting, she was diagnosed with Stage II pancreatic cancer, one of the most deadly forms of cancer. 

“I was like, ‘Oh my god, I’m gonna die,'” Burkhard said. Her first thoughts were of her children and grandchildren. 

Dr. Alexander Itskovich, a medical director of oncology services at the Statesir Cancer Center in New Jersey, was quick to offer reassurance. Her cancer was still treatable, he said, but it would require surgery to remove the mass, and radiation and chemotherapy to eliminate as many cancerous cells as possible. It would be a long journey, and even if all went well, Burkhard would have to be closely monitored for the rest of her life. Burkhard said that the same determination that helped her in her military career helped her get through the grueling treatment schedule.   

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Mary Jo Burkhard.

Mary Jo Burkhard


“If you can get through boot camp, you can get through anything,” Burkhard said. “It changes your mindset on how you do things, it makes you stronger and makes you into a fighter. So I was a fighter. I was fighting.” 

Treating one of the most deadly cancers in the U.S.

Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute. It’s “very difficult to catch this cancer early,” said Dr. Suneel Kamath, a GI oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center who was not involved in Burkhard’s care. Early symptoms typically include vague stomach upset, abdominal pain and acid reflux, which Kamath said are easy to ignore or attribute to more mild maladies. 

Often, the cancer is only found when a person seeks treatment for a different issue, Itskovich said. In Burkhard’s case, the pain she was feeling likely wasn’t even related to the pancreatic cancer, Itskovich said, but her decision to seek medical care led to the early diagnosis. Her cancer was diagnosed as Stage II. Most people with pancreatic cancer aren’t diagnosed until the disease is Stage IV, Kamath said. At that point, the cancer has spread throughout the body and treatment is unlikely to be an option. 

For patients like Burkhard who can still be treated, speed is key. Just days after being diagnosed, Burkhard began chemotherapy. The sessions were every three days for more than four months. The treatment took a toll on her body: The 71-year-old often struggled with fatigue and sometimes had to call her children to help her move around the house. But it worked: Scans showed the chemotherapy had shrunk the tumor to half its size. That meant Itskovich could operate and remove the remaining mass. 


American Cancer Society doctor discusses why treating pancreatic cancer is so hard

03:30

During surgery, he found that the mass was attached to multiple other organs in Burkhard’s body. It took over nine hours, nearly twice the length of a typical surgery, but he was able to remove the entire tumor. The surgery was followed by more chemotherapy, as well as radiation treatment. Burkhard spent several weeks in the hospital, and while the recovery from surgery was difficult, she was actually more bothered by the puree diet she had to maintain.

“It was the only thing I could eat,” she said, calling the semi-liquid meals “worse than a military diet.” 

Enjoying life with “no evidence of disease”  

After completing treatment, Burkhard underwent another round of testing to confirm that the intense regimen had worked. 

“I was so scared all up through the CAT scan and waiting for them, waiting for the answer,” Burkhard said. “I was just worried. I knew (Itskovich) caught everything, cut everything out, and I knew the radiation had killed the microscopic cells. I knew all that in my head, but my heart was saying ‘OK, anything can happen.’ That was scary.” 

The scans came back clear, but Burkhard’s waiting isn’t over yet. She will get CAT scans every three months for the next three years, and then every six months for the next two years. The disease can recur, Kamath said, and Stage I and II pancreatic cancer only has a five-year survival rate of about 44%. Because it’s only been a short period, Burkhard can’t be described as cancer-free, but Itskovich said she currently has “no evidence of disease.” 

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Mary Jo Burkhard (center) is presented with a certificate of appreciation by CentraState President and CEO Tom Scott and Dr. Alexander Itskovich. 

CentraState Healthcare


While the coast is clear, Burkhard says she plans on enjoying her life. She’s gotten back to her community service and Veterans Affairs activities. She spoke at a special flag-raising ceremony hosted in honor of Veterans Day at the hospital where she was treated. Soon, she’ll travel to Indiana for a month for a long trip to see her grandkids. Whenever she’s back at the hospital for scans, she tries to bring positivity to the staff who she said helped save her life. 

“I hug the doctors, I hug the nurses. I hug everybody in the hospital,” she said. “Everybody gets a hug.” 



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Museum exhibit focuses on largest crypto seizure in U.S. history

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Museum exhibit focuses on largest crypto seizure in U.S. history – CBS News


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President-elect Donald Trump is calling himself the “crypto president,” even tapping a former Paypal executive as his “crypto czar.” Meanwhile, the value of one Bitcoin is right around $100,000 — but the digital currency continues to raise questions and concerns. One museum exhibit, focused on the largest crypto seizure in U.S. history, is trying to provide some answers.

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