India Doctors have issued an alert about a new virus known as ‘tomato flu,’ which has sickened dozens of children.

It is believed that the infection, which was discovered in May in Kerala in the southern state, is a novel strain of the hand, foot, and mouth disease.

However, experts have not ruled out the possibility of an altogether new virus. Experts are also investigating whether it is a result of a mosquito-borne sickness.

Since May, 82 children under the age of five have received a tomato fever diagnosis, and another 26 children up to the age of 10 are suspected cases.

The disease got its name from the “eruption” of red, itchy blisters that spread across victims’ bodies and gradually swell to the size of a tomato.

In addition to high fever and acute joint pain, the majority of patients also experience fatigue, nausea, and diarrhea.

Doctors worry that if the present outbreak is not contained, it might spread to adult populations because it is ‘very contagious’.

It comes as the world continues to recover from the Covid pandemic, as well as a global wave of monkeypox.

“Children are at increased risk of exposure to tomato flu,” according to physicians who published their findings in the peer-reviewed journal The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, “as viral infections are common in this age group and spread is likely to be through close contact.”

Young children can catch this virus via touching dirty surfaces, using diapers, and putting objects directly in their mouths.

“Given the similarities to hand, foot, and mouth disease,” according to experts, “if the outbreak of tomato flu in children is not controlled and prevented, transmission might lead to serious consequences by spreading in adults as well.”

The primary signs and symptoms seen in children with tomato flu are comparable to those of chikungunya, a viral illness similar to dengue that is common in areas of India and spread by mosquitoes.

The 82 kids with tomato fever first tested negative for dengue, chikungunya, zika, varicella-zoster, and herpes, but those tests later turned out to be negative.

Patients can experience fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, dehydration, swollen joints, and body aches in addition to blisters.

The virus presently has no test or cure.

All patients, according to doctors, should be segregated for five to seven days after the onset of symptoms and instructed to rest, drink plenty of fluids, and take paracetamol.

They advise using sponges bathed in warm water to lessen the rash’s irritation.

The virus was discovered for the first time on May 6 in Kollam, eastern Kerala, and the last case was on July 26.

Anchal, Aryankavu, and Neduvathur are the other three areas in Kerala where infections have been reported.

And in the northeastern state of Odisha, 26 more infections among children aged one to nine have been detected.

The neighboring states of Tamil Nadu, to the east, and Karnataka, to the north of Kerala, have been alerted as a result of the spread being monitored by the Kerala Health Department.

The scientists from Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia, and the L. M. College of Pharmacy in Gujarat, north India, stated that the virus does not pose a life-threatening threat.

Within a week or two, all known victims have recovered normally.

It is still unknown where the infection came from. The two viruses are unrelated, despite the fact that some symptoms—fever, fatigue, and aches—are similar to those of Covid.

The doctors speculate that the virus may be a brand-new strain of the common infection known as “hand, foot, and mouth disease,” which primarily affects small children and immunocompromised individuals.

However, they also emphasized that the symptoms could represent a novel ‘after-effect’ of dengue fever or chikungunya that occurs several days after the body has eliminated these diseases.

It occurs as the world struggles to deal with more breakouts on top of the ongoing Covid waves.

Over 35,000 instances of monkeypox have been documented worldwide, with 14,115 cases in the US.

Meanwhile, the Langya virus, which causes mild flu-like symptoms, has been identified in 35 individuals in China, generating the first fears of a repeat of the pandemic of 2020.

However, leading experts have now reassured the public that it is not comparable to Covid, as its spread among humans is not rapid.

Source: 10.1016/S2213-2600(22)00300-9

Image Credit: Getty

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