Why Experts Are Concerned About ‘Tomato Flu’ Outbreaks

The Lancet says the main symptoms seen in infected children are: ChikungunyaA mosquito-borne disease that causes high fever, rashes, and severe joint pain.

As with many viral infections, other symptoms include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, dehydration, swollen joints, body aches, and common flu-like symptoms. Dengue fever – Another disease spread by mosquitoes.

“There is a high possibility of infection through close contact.” Hannah NewmanMPH, director of infection control at New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital, told Healthline.

“This virus was named tomato flu based on the red, painful blisters that can mimic the appearance and size of a tomato,” Newman explained.

Although the disease is not considered life-threatening, it can cause an uncomfortable rash, fever, and joint pain.

“I don’t know exactly what caused my illness,” he admitted. Robert Glatter, MD, ER physician at Lenox Hill Hospital, New York. “But it could be a variant of hand-foot-and-mouth disease, or a sequela of chikungunya or dengue, both of which are mosquito-borne diseases.”

The Lancet author theorizes that the disease may even be a new type of hand-foot-and-mouth disease. enterovirus Infectious diseases, including one of its subtypes coxsackie viruswhich also causes a blister-like rash.

Newman warned that the disease could spread beyond India because it is a contagious virus.

Routine air travel can carry new pathogens almost anywhere, similar to what happened with COVID-19 and monkeypox, and can begin to affect older people.

“Given its similarities to hand-foot-and-mouth disease, if outbreaks of tomato flu in children are not controlled and prevented, the transmission could spread to adults, with serious consequences,” the authors of the communication said. . I have written.

“Similar to monkeypox, it is thought to be spread by contact with an infected person’s clothing, bedding, towels, sheets, toys, books, or other non-porous surfaces,” Glatter said. .

He added that the tomato flu virus could be a subspecies or “sequence” of hand-foot-and-mouth disease, but based on the Lancet report, there is no evidence that the disease is airborne or even droplet spread. .

Glatter also believes that chikungunya and dengue, endemic to the region, could put both the elderly and young children at risk from the tomato virus.

“Because their immune systems may not be as robust after they recover from these mosquito-borne viruses,” he said.

Glatter confirmed that there are currently no vaccines or antiviral drugs available to treat the disease.

“Supportive care, such as acetaminophen for fever and pain, and hydration can help patients feel better,” Glatter advised. “Hot compresses may help alleviate some of the discomfort associated with the painful nature of the rash.”

Newman said ways to prevent tomato flu include prompt isolation of infected patients and good hand hygiene.

She emphasized doing “environmental disinfection” of surfaces, toys, clothing and other items used by sick people.

“And restrict sharing of these items between other children and adults,” she added.

The concern, says Glatter, is that we don’t know what will happen to older patients or those with weakened immune systems if they develop the disease.

“That said, at this time, the risk of population spread is very low and people in the United States shouldn’t be overly concerned,” he continued.

Glatter warns that “vigilance is paramount” at a global level given that we have just experienced COVID-19 and monkeypox.

“The priority now is to determine whether the tomato virus is a virus, let alone a new virus,” he said. [consequence] of recent previous infection with a previously well-known and documented virus. ”

A new disease has been identified in children in southern India that resembles a specific class of mosquito-borne illnesses, such as Chikungunya.

There is no life-threatening condition so far.

Experts say the cause is still unknown, but it could be a new type of enterovirus, such as the coxsackie virus that causes painful blisters.

They also say the risk of population proliferation is low and people in the United States shouldn’t worry too much.