After Kerala, 'tomato flu' now found in Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha

NEW DELHI: Tomato flu, a clinical variant of the Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD), which was first reported in India on May 6 from Kollam district in Kerala, has now spread to three other states - Tamil Nadu, Haryana, and Odisha.
According to the Union health ministry, as of July 26, more than 82 children younger than five years have confirmed positive for tomato flu in Kerala, mainly in Kollam district.The other affected areas of the state are Anchal, Aryankavu, and Neduvathur, the health ministry said on Tuesday. Additionally, 26 children (aged 1-9 years) have been reported as having the disease in Odisha by the Regional Medical Research Centre in Bhubaneswar, said a senior official.

Primary symptoms observed in children with tomato flu are like those of other viral infections, which include fever, rashes, and pain in joints, an advisory issued by the Centre to all states in view of the rising cases states. "HFMD is characterised by fever, sores in the mouth, and a skin rash. It begins with mild fever, poor appetite, malaise, and often a sore throat. One or two days after the fever begins, small red spots appear which change to blisters and then to ulcers. The sores are usually located on the tongue, gums, inside of the cheeks, palms and soles.
In kids with these symptoms, molecular and serological tests are done for diagnosis of dengue, chikungunya, zika virus, varicella-zoster virus, and herpes; once these viral infections are ruled out, a diagnosis of tomato flu is considered," it says.