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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.
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Sailor who died with 428 crewmates in Pearl Harbor attack finally accounted for
A United States Navy seaman who died during the attack on Pearl Harbor has been accounted for decades after his death, military officials said Thursday.
U.S. Navy Seaman 2nd Class John C. Auld, 23, was from Newcastle, England, according to a news release from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. He was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, a battleship moored at Pearl Harbor, in 1941.
On Dec. 7, Auld was aboard the ship when Japanese pilots attacked Pearl Harbor. During the attack, the USS Oklahoma took multiple torpedo hits and capsized just 12 minutes after it was first hit, according to the Department of Defense. Four hundred and twenty-nine crewmembers, including Auld, died. Only 32 crewmembers survived, thanks to what the Department of Defense called “acts of valor” by other military members. It was the greatest death toll from any ship that day, other than the USS Arizona, which lost over 1,100 seamen.
It took three years for Navy personnel to recover the crew’s remains. The remains were interred in the Halawa and Nu’uanu Cemeteries on Oahu in 1944, and in 1947, military officials began working to identify the remains. The remains were disinterred and transferred to a laboratory, where 35 sets of remains were identified.
The unidentified remains were buried again at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii. The names of those who could not be identified were recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the cemetery.
Between June and November 2015, those remains were again exhumed and analyzed at the DPAA’s laboratory. Scientists used anthropological analysis, DNA analysis, and circumstantial and material evidence to make the identification. In 2018, Auld’s remains were identified. However, it wasn’t until recently that the DPAA was made aware that Auld’s family had been notified of his identification, which led to a delay in the announcement.
The Department of Defense announced earlier this month that the remains of all crewmembers who died aboard the USS Oklahoma have been identified. Pearl Harbor survivors will commemorate the 83rd anniversary of the attack on Saturday.
Now that Auld has been identified, a rosette will be placed next to his name at the Courts of the Missing. He was buried in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Friday morning, according to the DPAA and a funeral notice shared online.
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez launches bid to lead Democrats on House Oversight Committee
Washington — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York launched her bid Friday to be the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee as the party looks to replace its veteran leaders on several key panels.
“This is not a position I seek lightly. The responsibility of leading Democrats on the House Oversight Committee during Donald Trump’s second term in the White House is a profound and consequential one,” the New York Democrat wrote in a letter to colleagues on Friday.
“In the 119th Congress, Oversight Committee Democrats will face an important task: we must balance our focus on the incoming president’s corrosive actions and corruption with a tangible fight to make life easier for America’s working class,” she added.
While Democrats will remain in the minority when the new Congress convenes next month, a victory would place Ocasio-Cortez in line to chair the powerful Oversight Committee if Democrats retake the House in 2026, halfway through President-elect Donald Trump’s term. The committee led numerous investigations into the first Trump administration after Democrats won the House in 2018.
Her candidacy sets up a challenge against Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, who is also seeking to fill Rep. Jamie Raskin’s position. Raskin, of Maryland, is leaving the post and angling to be the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee.
Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, the longtime Democratic leader of the Judiciary Committee, ended his bid to continue leading the panel after Raskin announced his challenge.
There’s also an effort to replace the aging Democrats atop the House Agriculture Committee and the House Natural Resources Committee.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York hasn’t given a public endorsement or condemnation of the committee shakeups, but told reporters Friday that “the caucus is working its will, and we’re doing it in a cordial fashion.”
contributed to this report.
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Body found of Pennsylvania woman who fell into sinkhole
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