Warning against brand new ‘tomato flu’ virus detected in India and infecting 82 children

Indian doctors have raised the alarm for a new virus called “tomato flu” that has infected dozens of children.

The infection was detected in the southern state of Kerala in May, and there are concerns that it is a new variant of foot and mouth disease.

Experts are also investigating whether these are side effects of a mosquito-borne infection, but they do not exclude a completely new pathogen.

Since May, 82 children under the age of five have been diagnosed with tomato fever, and 26 youths under the age of 10 are suspected of having the case.

The infection got its name because it causes painful red blisters to “explode” on patients’ bodies, which “gradually reach the size of a tomato”.

Most patients also have high fever and severe joint pain, but fatigue, nausea and diarrhea have also been reported.

Doctors say it’s “highly contagious,” and they fear it could spread to the adult population if the current outbreak isn’t kept under control.

It comes as the world is still reeling from the Covid pandemic and in the midst of a global monkeypox epidemic.

Indian doctors have raised the alarm for a new virus called “tomato flu” that has infected dozens of children. Photos of the rash caused by the virus have not been published, but it causes painful red blisters and rash on the patient’s body.

Writing in the scientific journal Scalpel Respiratory Medicine, the doctors said: “Children are at higher risk of exposure to tomato flu, as viral infections are common in this age group and spread is likely through close contact.

“Even young children are susceptible to this infection by using diapers, touching dirty surfaces, and placing objects directly in their mouths.

“Given the similarities to foot and mouth disease, if the tomato flu epidemic in children is not controlled and prevented, transmission can have serious consequences in adults as well,” he said.

The main symptoms seen in children with tomato flu are similar to those of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne dengue-like viral disease native to parts of India.

82 children diagnosed with tomato fever initially tested negative for dengue, chikungunya, zika virus, varicella-zoster virus, and herpes, but tested negative.

In addition to blisters, patients suffer from fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, dehydration, swollen joints and muscle aches.

There are currently no tests or treatments for the virus.

Doctors say all patients should be isolated and rest, drink plenty of fluids, and take acetaminophen for the five to seven days when symptoms begin.

They recommend rubbing sponges dipped in warm water to limit the irritation of the rash.

The virus was first detected on 6 May in Kollam in eastern Kerala, with the latest case reported on 26 July.

Infections have also been recorded in three other districts of Kerala: Anchal, Aryankavu and Neduvathur.

And 26 more infections were reported among children aged one to nine years in the northeastern state of Odisha.

Kerala’s health department is monitoring the spread and has warned the neighboring states of Tamil Nadu to the east and Karnataka just north of Kerla.

Experts from the LM College of Pharmacy in Gujarat in northern India and the University of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, noted that the virus is not life-threatening.

All known patients recovered naturally within one to two weeks.

The source of the infection is still unclear. Although some symptoms – fever, fatigue and pain – overlap in Covid, the two viruses are unrelated.

Doctors believe the virus may be a new variant of hand disease, foot and mouth disease, a common infection that primarily affects young children and immunocompromised adults.

However, they also noted that the symptoms could be a new “side effect” of dengue fever, or chikungunya, that occurs days after the body has cleared these infections.

The world comes upon recurrent waves of Covid as it grapples with more outbreaks.

More than 35,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported worldwide, including 3,195 in the UK and 14,115 in the US.

Vaccines are being made around the world to curb the spread of the virus that causes the rash, which is mostly seen in men who have sex with men.

Meanwhile, the Langya virus, which causes mild flu-like symptoms, was detected in 35 people in China, initially fueling fears of a recurrence of the 2020 pandemic.

But top scientists have since reassured the public that there is no such thing as Covid, as it does not spread rapidly among humans.