"I am almost on the way...You should look after our children well," was the heart-wrenching message from a dying nurse in Kerala who succumbed to the rare Nipah virus infection.
The emotional message scribbled by 28-year-old Lini Puthussery in a brief note in Malayalam to her husband Sajeesh minutes before she died yesterday has gone viral in the social media, leaving people teary-eyed.
A nursing assistant with the Perambra Taluk Hospital in Kozhikode, Lini got exposed to the 'deadly' virus while treating affected patients.
Besides her husband, who works in Bahrain, Lini leaves behind two sons aged five and two.
In the letter to Sajeesh, Lini expressed her pain and anguish that she could not see him again.
She also requested her husband to take care of their children and take them to Bahrain with him.
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"I am almost on the way. I do not think I can meet you. You should look after our children well," she had said.
After consulting the family, authorities cremated Lini's body. This was done as a precautionary measure to ensure that the virus, if present, did not spread further.
After coming to know of Lini's health, Sajeesh had come home two days ago.
Nipah virus has so far claimed 10 lives in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts in north Kerala while the condition of two undergoing treatment is said to be critical.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan took to Facebook to mourn the death.
The loss of Lini, who had sacrificed her life for nursing a patient, is a grief for all of us. Lini's sacrifice is incomparable. It is painful that Lini met with this tragedy while she was sincerely doing her duty. We, the people of the state, share the pain and loss of Lini's family, friends and colleagues," Vijayan wrote.
The natural host of the Nipah virus (NiV) virus are fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family, Pteropus genus.
There is no vaccination for the virus which has a mortality rate of 70 per cent.
Health officials said they had found mangoes bitten by bats in a home where three people died of the suspected infection, according to a report.