India has reported at least 82 cases of ‘tomato flu’ in children.Here’s What Experts Know So Far

Health experts are monitoring viral infections detected in children in the southern Indian state of Kerala earlier this year and spreading to two other regions.

As of July 26, more than 82 children under the age of five have been diagnosed with the virus, according to the Lancet Respiratory Medicine Journal.

The researchers say the disease, called “tomato flu,” is not life-threatening, but is a “highly contagious” disease that appears to be a variant of hand-foot-and-mouth disease. has not yet been confirmed.

Scientists are trying to pinpoint exactly what the virus is. Here’s what they’ve said so far.

What do we know about the “tomato flu”?

The symptoms are similar to dengue and chikungunya viruses common in the region, but they don’t appear to be, said Vasso Apostolopoulos of the University of Victoria.

Professor Apostolopoulos is the leader of the University’s Immunology and Translational Group and co-author of the Lancet paper.

“Similarly, it shares symptoms with hand-foot-and-mouth disease,” said Professor Aposthropoulos.

The first two diseases are known to be spread by mosquitoes. Also, hand, foot and mouth disease is a common infectious disease that primarily affects children from her 1 to her 5 years of age and immunocompromised adults.

Professor Aposthropoulos said the virus was mild and seemed to go away on its own.

Tomato flu is highly contagious. Professor Aposthropoulos said it’s not clear what the virus is until the genome sequence is made public, but “it’s likely a variant of hand-foot-and-mouth disease.”

She said children are at higher risk of exposure to tomato flu because viral infections are common in this age group.

why name?

It is called the tomato virus because it grows as big as a tomato and causes red, painful blisters to erupt all over its fruit-red body.

“It has nothing to do with eating tomatoes or tomatoes,” said Professor Aposthropoulos.

Given its similarities to hand-foot-and-mouth disease, The Lancet says that if tomato flu in children is not controlled and prevented, the contagion can spread to adults, with serious consequences.

When was the virus first identified?

It was first identified in May of this year in the Kollam district of Kerala, India.

Municipal hospitals have reported more than 82 infected children under the age of five.

“We’re trying to pinpoint exactly what this virus is,” Apostrophoulos said.

How do viruses affect people?

Common symptoms seen in children include high fever, rash, and joint pain.

Tomato flu blisters are similar to those seen with juvenile monkeypox virus, and a rash that leads to skin irritation also appears on the skin.

Acute joint pain is another virus-related symptom.

As with other viral infections, other symptoms include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, and body aches.

What are the known treatments for tomato flu?

There are no antiviral drugs or vaccines available to treat or prevent tomato flu.

The Lancet recommends isolating for five to seven days from the onset of symptoms to prevent spreading the infection to other children and adults.

The best method of prevention is “maintaining proper hygiene and disinfection” and ensuring that infected children do not share toys, clothing, food, or other items with uninfected others. .

where is the case?

Cases have now been reported in neighboring Tamil Nadu and eastern Orissa, where the virus usually affects children under the age of five, but has infected children as young as nine.

To date, with the exception of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Orissa, no other parts of India have been affected by the virus.

“At the moment it is still in isolation and does not appear to have spread beyond India,” said Professor Apostolopoulos.

Precautionary measures have been taken by the Kerala Health Department to monitor the spread of the virus and prevent it from spreading to other parts of India.