The Centre has released an advisory to all Indian states after a paper in the correspondence section of the Lancet journal warned of an outbreak of “tomato flu” cases among children in the country. Tomato flu cases have been reported from four Indian states- Kerala, Odisha, Haryana, and Tamil Nadu. Now, the question is- what is tomato flu and how do you identify its key symptoms?
Tomato flu- what does it mean?
According to reports issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India, the first case of tomato flu was detected in Kollam district, Kerala on the 6th of May, 2022. Till July, 26th, this infection was found in over 82 children in the region. Its neighbouring states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have been issued an alert about the outbreak of this viral infection. Children in the age group of 1 to 5 years are falling prey to tomato flu.
Doctors in the region state the virus causing tomato fever causes blisters on the feet, hands, and mouth of young children. Since they appear in the shape of a tomato, hence the name “tomato flu”.
Children in the age group of 1 to 5 years with weak immunity are generally the victims to this flu. There are cases where tomato flu is the after-effect of chikungunya or dengue. However, there is no cause to panic as the flu can be cured within a week, however, if the case is serious, parents must consult a doctor immediately.
Symptoms to watch out for- early warning signs of tomato flu
- Fatigue
- Sudden onset of fever (the temperature of the body soars beyond 100 °F [38°C]
- Blisters on the feet, hands, and mouth of young children
- Sore or itchy throat
- Chills
- Cough
- Runny nose
- Body or muscle ache
According to the Lancet journal report, the key symptoms of tomato flu observed in young children are similar to Chikungunya, and include intense joint pain, high fever, and rashes. The red blisters resemble those caused by the monkey pox virus in young people.
Rashes appearing on the skin caused by tomato flu lead to skin irritation. Like other viral infections, additional symptoms include vomiting, dehydration, fever, diarrhoea, joint inflammation, body ache, and common symptoms similar to influenza and dengue.
Diagnosis of tomato flu
Children with these symptoms are subject to serological and molecular tests done for the diagnosis of the zika virus, herpes, the varicella-zoster virus, dengue, and chikungunya.
Once the above viral infections are eliminated, the contraction of the tomato flu virus gets confirmed.
Treatment of tomato flu
Since tomato flu is similar to dengue and chikungunya, its treatment procedure is also the same for infections caused in the mouth, hand, and feet. Patients are advised rest, isolation, plenty of fluids, and a hot water sponge for relief from rashes and irritation. Doctors also recommend supportive therapy for fever and body ache with paracetamol, and other symptomatic treatments for the patient.
Young children are prone to this viral infection via touching surfaces that are not clean, the use of nappies, and putting items into their mouth directly. Since, the infection is similar to diseases in the hand, feet, and mouth, if its outbreak is not effectively controlled and prevented in children, the transmission might result in serious consequences in the country spreading in the adult population as well.
