Insights on the tomato flu outbreak in India: could this outbreak be contained?

Abstract

Children in India are being infected with a rare, dangerous virus known as “ tomato fl u ” [1] . It is thought of being either a novel variety of the viral hand, foot, and mouth disease or a consequence of chikungunya or dengue fever [2] . According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hand, foot, and mouth disease is an extremely infectious disease caused by the coxsackievirus A16 that spreads rapidly through an affected person ’ s nasal and oral secretions, excretions, and blister fl uid. As per experts, young children, particularly between 1 and 9 years of age are more susceptible to contracting this disease owing to their compromised immune systems, with the highest prevalence seen in children under 5 years of age [1] . The fi rst case of tomato fl u was reported on May 6, 2022, in the Kollam district of Kerala in India with government health care facilities subsequently documenting infection in further 82 children by July 26, 20222. The Regional Medical Research Centre in Bhubaneswar revealed that an additional 26 children in the state of Odisha had contracted the illness. Other than Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Odisha, no other parts of India have experienced the virus ’ s effects as yet [3] . The hallmark of this disease is blisters all over the body, especially the hands, feet, and oral cavity characterized by a tomato-red hue and the size of a tiny tomato, giving it the moniker “ tomato fl u or tomato fever. ” Complimenting it are symptoms, such as pyrexia, exhaustion, and body pains, reminiscing about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Doctors have also noticed a loss of nails and lesions in unusual places, including the buttocks [4,5] . The incubation period of the disease is 5 – 7 days with diagnosis made by affected individuals going through molecular and serological tests for the diagnosis of the Zika virus,