Tomato flu: why this name?

“Tomato fever”, 82 cases were identified in the state of Kerala on May 6. “It is not a fatal disease, but it is contagious and can spread from person to person, although the true ways the infection spreads are still being investigated,” told the media India Today Dr. Subhash Chandra, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in Kochi.

Unknown causes

According to the Indian media, this viral disease, caused by a virus and mainly observed in children under 5 years old, is endemic in Kerala. “Its exact cause is not yet known”, can we read in the publication. In 2007, when the tomato flu appeared, experts assumed that the condition was a sequel to dengue fever and chikungunya, since its symptoms are similar to those of these two pathologies. Recently, some virologists have suggested that “tomato fever” could be a new form or variant of the so-called “foot-hand-mouth” infection, which mainly affects toddlers.

Why is this disease called the “tomato flu”?

This viral pathology bears this name because it manifests itself by small red and spherical rashes, which look like small tomatoes. These pimples, painful and extremely contagious, appear on the hands, feet and mouth of young children and cause them to itch. Tomato flu also causes high fever, joint pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cough, severe fatigue and dehydration.

How to treat it?

For now, there is no treatment to cure tomato flu. Currently, doctors are trying to treat the symptoms of the disease. “Patients who develop tomato fever should drink plenty and stay in bed, as is advised for other viral fevers, to keep the body hydrated and well rested”said Dr. Subhash Chandra.