Tomato Fever or Tomato Flu: Symptoms, Cause, Treatment & Prevention

After CoronaVirus and Monkeypox, Tomato Flu became a new virus to spread in India and worldwide. Union Health Ministry of Government issued an advisory about tomato flu that is affecting young children more.

What is Tomato Flu?

Tomato Fever or Tomato Flu is one type of influenza characterized by fever, joint pain, and tomato-like red color rashes usually seen in children which converted into skin irritation and severe dehydration issues.

Tomato flu is a highly contagious viral infection, which will spread through close contact and touch particularly among young children. This is very similar to hand, foot, and mouth disease.

Tomato flu meaning

Tomato flu was named on the basis of the eruption of red and painful blisters throughout the full body and gradually enlarging to the size of a tomato.

Origin Country

This disease was first identified in India in the state of Kerala. 

Kerala Tomato Flu

The tomato flu was first identified in Kerala’s Kollam district on May 6, 2022, and as of August 2022, more than 100+ children younger than 5 yrs with the infection have been reported by the local government hospitals of the Indian Government.

Cause

• No causes have been found as of now that cultivate or spread Tomato Flu. 
• Health experts are still investigating the key root causes of Tomato Fever.

Symptoms Tomato Fever

Here are 15 Symptoms of tomato flu which are similar to chikungunya or dengue infection.

• Large, red-colored, and spherical blisters on multiple body parts
• Rashes on the skin
• Skin Irritation
• Dehydration
• Fever
• Body pain
• Runny nose and sneezing
• Decolouration
• Constant feeling of tiredness and Fatigue
• Abdominal cramps
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Coughing
• Body ache

How tomato flu spreads

Tomato flu is a contagious disease that spreads through direct contact. Tomato flu virus shows symptoms similar to Covid-19 but the virus is not related to the family of SARS-CoV-2. Tomato flu might be an after-effect of chikungunya or dengue fever in children according to early estimation rather than a viral infection.

Similar to other types of influenza, tomato flu is very contagious in its spread. Hence, it is more important to follow isolation from confirmed or suspected cases and precautionary steps should be followed to prevent the outbreak of the tomato flu virus to the whole world.

Tomato Flu Vs Corona Virus

Here is a basic comparison between Tomato Flu vs Covid-19 symptoms.

Diagnosis

• Patients should go through serological and molecular tests for the diagnosis of dengue and chikungunya.
• Once symptoms of viral infections are ruled out, contraction of the tomato virus is confirmed.
• Tomato flu is a self-curable disease. The proper symptomatic treatment and preventive measures are beneficial.
• Isolation period time should be followed for 5–7 days when symptoms started to show onset to prevent the spread of infection to other children or adults.
• Drug repurposing and vaccination are the most efficacious and cost- effective approaches to ensure public health safety from viral infections, especially in children, older people, immunocompromised people, and those with underlying health issues.

Tomato Flu Treatment

• The treatment for tomato flu is similar to the treatment for Chikungunya & Dengue.
• Try to drink more boiled water.
• Maintain good personal hygiene.
• Maintain physical distance from suspected cases.
• Take sufficient rest to avoid the long-lasting effects.
• Supportive therapy of paracetamol for fever and body aches and for other symptomatic treatments are required.

Is tomato flu a contagious infection?

• Yes. Tomato flu is a contagious type of disease that spreads through direct contact.

• It is spreading more in school-going children due to lack of hygiene issues and their habit of often putting hands in their mouths. 
• The infectious agents can remain in a child’s body for weeks after the infection subside, it can use them as a favorable carrier of transmission.
• Adults can also get transmission of the virus even while handling children without showing any signs and symptoms of the disease.
• These red blisters resemble those seen with earlier monkeypox viruses in young individuals. 
• Rashes appear on the skin with tomato flu leading to skin irritation on your body.

Prevention of Tomato Flu

Following are some preventative measures that can help to prevent Tomato Flu

• Avoid direct contact with an infected individual.
• Try to consume a nutrition-rich, balanced diet to boost immunity.
• It's essential to get enough rest and sleep to heal quickly.
• Educate your child about the signs and symptoms and side effects related to them.
• Tell your child not to clinch or touch anyone who has fever or rash symptoms.
• You should encourage your children about hygiene conservation and stop them from thumb or stinking habits.
• Try to keep doused your child by motivating them to drink plenitude of water, milk, or juice, whatever they prefer.
• Encourage the child to use a handkerchief in case of running nose or coughing to avoid the spread of the complaint.
• Don’t rub or scrape the blister and clean the blister every time when you touch it.
• Incontinently insulate them from other children to inhibit complaint progression If your child develops symptoms of tomato fever.
• All implements, clothes, and other mileage particulars should be separated and sanitized regularly.
• Try to use warm water always to clean the skin or for bathing the child.

Tomato Flu Vaccine

• Drug repurposing and vaccination are the most efficacious and cost-effective approaches to ensure the safety of public health from viral infections.
• Especially in children who need proper medication and who had underlying health issues. 
• But Currently, no vaccine or anti-viral drugs are available for the treatment or prevention of tomato flu as scientists are finding the root cause.

Conclusion

Tomato flu is a rapidly-spreading infectious disease but currently, it is not looking like a lethal and life-threatening disease. 

 

Some of the symptoms may require immediate attention, like severe diarrhea, vomiting, and dehydration, because they have detrimental effects on your child’s body. So don’t be panic if your child encounters this disease and try to deal with it cautiously.