Thiruvananthapuram, May 21: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday remembered brave nurse Lini Puthuserry who died in the line of duty, during the outbreak of Nipah virus in 2018. Pinarayi Vijayan took to twitter to pay tribute to Lini. The Kerala CM said that people like Lini should not be forgotten as they form a “protective shield over humanity.” Nipah Virus in Kerela: 3 Nurses Who Treated Affected Patients Fall ill, One Dead.

Vijayan tweeted, “Today, we remember sister Lini, the brave nurse who lost her life in line of duty during the Nipah outbreak of 2018. The selfless service of people like her form a protective shield over humanity. Lest we forget them." Nipah Virus Outbreak: Lini Puthuserry’s Death Highlights the Challenges Faced by Nurses in India.

Pinarayi Vijayan's Tweet:

Lini was working in EMS Memorial Cooperative hospital at Perambra during the outbreak of Nipah virus. She fell ill while treating people affected by Nipah virus. However, the cause of her death was not known, Along with Lini, two other nurses had also fallen ill, but they recovered. Nipah virus claimed 17 lives in Kerala. India Sees Huge Spike of 5,609 Coronavirus Cases in Past 24 Hours, COVID-19 Tally Increases to 1,12,359, Death Toll Surges to 3435.

Nipah virus infection got its name from the village in Malaysia where the person from whom the virus was first isolated succumbed to the disease. The organism which Nipah virus encephalitis is an RNA or ribonucleic acid virus of the family paramyxoviridae genus Henipavirus and is closely related to Hendra virus. Kerala successfully contained the outbreak of Nipah virus.

At present, Kerala is facing challenge to control the outbreak of  coronavirus. Till now, 666 people have contracted the deadly virus. Four people people lost their lives in the state due to COVID-19. Over 500 people have recovered so far.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 21, 2020 03:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).