Description:

Indian tomato flu epidemic is a viral virus known as tomato flu that was initially found in youngsters in the state of Kerala in southern India in May has now spread to the states of Tamil Nadu and Odisha.

82 kids were identified. According to a Lancet Respiratory Medicine article, the first incidence was recorded on May 6 and there have since been 82 instances of children under the age of five.

What signs are present?

High body temperature, excruciating joint pain, and uncomfortable red blisters are some of the symptoms.

What makes it the "tomato flu"?

The name "tomato flu" comes from the development of red, uncomfortable blisters that can enlarge to the size of a tomato. No significant illness or fatalities have been reported thus far. Typically, tomato flu is not severe and goes away on its own in a week or so.
No therapy. Painkillers are advised even though the illness only lasts for approximately a week without treatment since it can be extremely unpleasant.

Parents are advised to keep children with tomato flu home from school or daycare for five days after the symptoms appear since it is extremely contagious and can be spread through faeces and the fluid in the spots.

Dehydration can be an issue in young children because some patients get mouth sores that make it difficult for them to swallow. Viral meningitis can occur in extremely uncommon circumstances, however there have been no occurrences of tomato flu-related illnesses in India to date.

Doctors didn"t know where this virus originated. The disease that the youngsters were suffering from had doctors stumped as to its origin. Any variety of infections could be the cause of the fever, aches, and pains. They hypothesised that diseases like dengue and chikungunya spread by mosquitoes may be to blame.

Monkeypox or covidose?

Doctors speculated that the atypical rash may have developed because children who received Covid were responding differently to infections. There was even a notion that it might be monkeypox due to the huge size of the spots.

Mystery cleared up

After returning from a family vacation in Kerala, two kids in the UK who had symptoms of the tomato flu were tested. According to the laboratory findings, they had the enterovirus coxsackie A16. Mouth, foot, and hand disease. Hand, foot, and mouth illness is brought on by Coxsackie A16 (HFMD). The reason it is called that is because the sufferer develops blisters on their mouth, feet, and palms.

Tomatillo flu is essentially HFMD

As a result, it appears that HFMD (hand, foot, and mouth disease) and tomato fever are caused by the same virus. The big, tomato-like rashes, though, are not typical of HFMD.

Viruses following Covid. Examples of other changes in viruses since the Covid pandemic started can be used to explain why the spots seem different enough for the disease to be given a new name.