Niya Faisal, who died of rabies, laid to rest; mother in quarantine 

KOLLAM: The body of Niya Faisal, who died of rabies, has been laid to rest at the Alenchery Muslim Jamaat mosque. As part of the protocol, the body was not brought home or kept for public viewing. Her mother has been directed to be in quarantine since the child died of rabies.

Niya Faisal died Monday morning while undergoing treatment at the SAT Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. Niya is a native of Vilakkudy in Kollam. She was bitten by a dog on April 8. She was admitted to the Taluk Hospital with fever on April 29 and later to the SAT. It is reported that the rabies virus had entered her brain through the bloodstream after biting a nerve.

With Niya's death, the number of children dying of rabies in the state in a month has reached three. Her body was not responding properly to the medicines. Despite complex treatment that included all the antiviral drugs needed to reduce the severity of the virus in the brain, she died at 2 am.

Meantime, the girl’s mother, Habeera, earlier told media that garbage is being dumped near the house and that stray dogs are a serious nuisance here. While talking to the media at the SAT Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, she said that despite several complaints, no action was taken by the authorities and that everyone together killed her child.