Over 100 cases of hand-foot-and-mouth disease, also known as tomato flu, have been reported in Assam in the last month, prompting the state health department to issue a warning, an official said on Monday. Assam’s Dibrugarh district has reported the highest number of cases.
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According to reports, The health department has advised the districts to keep infected children isolated for seven days. District health officials have also been directed to inspect the pediatric outpatient departments of district hospitals in order to detect cases as early as possible.
#Tomato Flu
Be careful be safe pic.twitter.com/ZoafHZ4P48— National Health Misson, Udalguri (@NHM_Udalguri) September 23, 2022
“The two schools recorded 24 and 22 cases, respectively, which were clinically confirmed based on symptoms,” according to the official.
Notably, there has been an increase in tomato flu or tomato fever cases in various Indian states. However the tomato flu disease is not considered life-threatening, healthcare experts have warned that if the disease spreads further, school attendance may suffer again following the Covid-19 pandemic.
A previous health-related advisory stated that, aside from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, and Odisha, no other region in the country had reported tomato flu until August 23. Though multiple viruses can cause the disease, health department sources say ‘Coxsackie‘ is to blame for its spread in states such as Assam. Coxsackie is spread from person to person, through contaminated surfaces, and even through the air.
What is Tomato Flu?
Coxsackievirus A16 is to be held responsible for the infection. When infected, the virus causes red and painful blisters on the skin, giving rise to the terms “Tomato Flu” or “Tomato Fever.” According to experts, using such names can be misleading because people may believe the virus is caused by tomatoes.
Most importantly, It is not influenza, has nothing to do with tomatoes, and is not a new disease. The size, shape, and color of the blisters that appear on the body give rise to the name “tomato” fever. These blisters resemble red tomatoes, thus the name tomato fever. According to some studies, tomato fever in children may be an aftereffect of chikungunya or dengue fever rather than a viral infection.
Safety and precautions:
Although tomato flu is not a fatal disease, it is critical to closely monitor cases and take appropriate action.
Only treated or boiled water should be given to infected children. They should be discouraged from scratching the blisters.
Tomato fever has no specific treatment. It is critical to keep the children infected with the disease hydrated and rested.
