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California teacher dies after being bitten by a bat inside her classroom
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.”
“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.
CBS News
Wisdom the albatross, world’s oldest-known wild bird at about 74, lays an egg for the first time in years
The oldest known wild bird in the world has laid an egg at the ripe age of about 74, her first in four years, U.S. wildlife officials said.
The long-winged seabird named Wisdom, a Laysan albatross, returned to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge at the northwestern edge of the Hawaiian Archipelago and laid what experts estimate may be her 60th egg, the Pacific Region of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service said in a Facebook post this week.
Wisdom and her mate, Akeakamai, had returned to the atoll in the Pacific Ocean to lay and hatch eggs since 2006. Laysan albatrosses mate for life and lay one egg per year, but according to the USFWS, Akeakamai hadn’t been seen for several years, prompting “Wisdom to begin courtship dances with other males” as soon as she returned to the island last week.
“We are optimistic that the egg will hatch,” Jonathan Plissner, supervisory wildlife biologist at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge said in a statement. Every year, millions of seabirds return to the refuge to nest and raise their young.
Albatross parents take turns incubating an egg for about seven months. Chicks fly out to sea about five to six months after hatching. They spend most of their lives flying over the ocean and feeding on squid and fish eggs.
Wisdom was first banded as an adult in 1956 and has raised as many as 30 chicks, Plissner said.
The typical lifespan of a Laysan albatross is 68 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
As 60 Minutes reported in 2018, Wisdom’s advanced years have seen her defy not only the general longevity odds for her species, but also the odds crated by the grim condition of her natural habitat. The islands of the Midway Atoll were she nests are awash with plastic pollution. The 60 Minutes team found that many of Wisdom’s fellow albatrosses have died around her with bellies full of plastic, making her a source of some optimism for researchers.
The USFWS called Wisdom “a world-renowned symbol of hope for all species that depend upon the health of the ocean to survive.”
CBS News
Kidnapped soccer star rescued after shootout between police and captors in Ecuador jungle
An Ecuadoran soccer star held hostage for three days has been rescued after a firefight between police and his captors in the jungle near Colombia.
Pedro Perlaza, 33, a defender with top-flight club Delfin, was freed along with another person, police announced Wednesday evening in a social media post.
He had been missing since Sunday evening.
In a social media post Thursday, police said three suspects had been arrested and that they had demanded $60,000 in exchange for their release.
A video released by police on Thursday showed the two men who were kidnapped — both barefoot — tearfully thanking their rescuers.
“They’ve been badly treated, but they’re alive,” Diego Velastegui, head of police in the northwestern port city of Esmeraldas, told reporters.
Police “were met by bullets from the criminals” near the coastal town of Atacames, he said. The kidnappers fled after officers returned fire. Velastegui said several of the kidnappers were wounded.
Perlaza had been held in a wooden shack built on stilts, tucked into a wooded area, according to an aerial photo released by authorities.
Perlaza was capped three times by the national team in 2020 and has spent his entire career with Ecuadoran clubs.
He was crowned champion in 2019 with Delfin and in 2022 with Aucas.
The ordeal comes just a few weeks after fellow Ecuador soccer player Marco Angulo died from injuries he sustained in a car crash.
In recent years, Ecuador has faced a wave of violence linked to drug trafficking.
The country’s homicide rate has risen from six per 100,000 inhabitants in 2018 to 47 in 2023.
Kidnapping, extortion, murder and prison massacres are now commonplace, in a country once considered an island of tranquility in Latin America.
In September, the director of Ecuador’s biggest prison, Maria Daniela Icaza, was killed in an armed attack. The country’s penitentiaries have been under military control since January, when President Daniel Noboa declared a state of “internal armed conflict” after a brutal wave of violence, sparked by the jailbreak of a powerful crime boss.
In January, gunmen stormed and opened fire in a TV studio and bandits threatened random executions of civilians and security forces. A prosecutor investigating the assault was later shot dead.
CBS News
NYC hostel at center of United Healthcare CEO shooting investigation: “The most significant clue to date”
NEW YORK — A New York City hostel is now the focal point of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s murder investigation.
That’s where the NYPD obtained photos of a person of interest, who let his guard — and his mask — down as he talked to a woman working at the front desk.
A high-ranking sources tell CBS News New York police interviewed the woman, and she told officers she asked to “see his pretty smile.”
“They were having a flirtatious moment and he pulls it down and he gives a big smile and that one informal moment between two human beings remains at this moment the most significant clue to date in this whole case,” former NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller said.
Sources say the man used a fake New Jersey ID with a phony name to check into the hostel at 891 Amsterdam Ave on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Detectives sealed off the room where he was staying and questioned other guests.
“We are fully cooperating with the NYPD and, as this is an active investigation, cannot comment at this time,” said a spokesperson for Hi New York Hostel.
Investigators believe the man may have arrived in New York City by bus as many as 10 days before the shooting.
Timeline of UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter’s movements
Police are still piecing together a timeline of the gunman’s steps. Video shows him walking out of a Midtown subway station at 6:15 a.m. Wednesday, half an hour before the shooting.
Minutes later, he shows up at a nearby Starbucks, two blocks from the Hilton hotel.
Sources tell CBS News police believe the suspect bought a drink and a protein bar, paying in cash. The NYPD is now running forensic tests on a discarded coffee cup.
Then around 6:30 a.m., surveillance video obtained by The New York Times shows the suspect talking on a cellphone while walking toward the hotel.
Sixteen minutes later, Thompson was killed.
“Delay” and “deny” written on bullets
NYPD sources say the gunman used a B&T STATION SIX gun equipped with a silencer.
“In all of my years of law enforcement, I have never seen a silencer before. So that was really something that was shocking to us all,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said.
Investigators still have not found two of the most important pieces of evidence — the gun and the backpack.
Detectives are investigating whether the words “delay” and “deny,” found written in Sharpie on shell casings, shed light on a motive, possibly referencing a book called “Delay, Deny, Defend” that is critical of tactics allegedly used by insurers.
Investigators are searching Central Park, where they believe the suspect may have dumped his backpack. They’re also visiting gun dealers in Connecticut, trying to trace where the murder weapon was purchased, and running photos of the person of interest into facial recognition technologies.
“You can run it against their employee databases, there are databases for criminals, there are military databases, there are many places there are pictures,” CBS News law enforcement contributor Rich Esposito said.
The NYPD is offering a $10,000 reward in the case. Police ask the public to call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. You can also submit a tip via their website. All calls are kept confidential.