What is tomato flu?
And what causes it?
Where is it currently spread?
Is it related to tomato fruits?
What is "Tomato Flu"?
Tomato flu is a condition that occurred in Kerala, India.
Local media reports stated that more than 80 children had contracted the disease, also known as "tomato fever".
What is the cause of tomato flu?
It is not clear what causes tomato flu, and there is debate over whether it is caused by a virus or a complication of chikungunya or dengue fever.
Why was the tomato flu called by that name?
Tomato flu causes a red rash, skin irritation, dryness, and blisters.
The disease derives its name from the pimples it causes that resemble tomatoes.
Tomato flu affects children under the age of five in Kerala state.
Cases have also been reported from Aryankavu, Anshal and Nidovator, India.
This is according to New Delhi Television.
tomato flu symptoms
Initial symptoms
Tomato-like red blisters
Skin rash
High temperature
swelling in the joints
body aches
drought
lethargy
Other symptoms
Discoloration of hands and knees
nausea
vomiting
colic
fatigue
Cough
sneezing
Runny nose.
The exact cause of tomato flu is unknown
Tomato flu is "endemic" in Kerala and its exact cause is not yet known, according to India Today.
Other than the rash, most symptoms — high fever, body aches, joint pain, and nausea — are almost similar to those of dengue and chikungunya.
Is tomato flu contagious?
“Tomato flu is not a life-threatening disease, but it is contagious and can spread from person to person, although the true patterns of infection are still being investigated,” says Dr Subhash Chandra, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at Amrita Hospital Kochi, India.
Tomato flu may not be dangerous, but there is no cure for it either.
"Patients who develop tomato fever should take plenty of fluids and rest in bed...to maintain hydration and rest," Dr. Chandra adds.
Tomato flu affects children under the age of five, Dr B Aruna, deputy director of health services in Coimbatore, told The Indian Express.
This means that the symptoms will go away over time on their own if supportive care is provided.
Tomato flu is a misnomer
Dr. Dharshana Reddy, a consultant in internal medicine at Altius Hospital in Bangalore, told the Financial Express that the name 'tomato flu' is a misnomer.
It is a rare viral infection of uncertain origin that gets its name from the typical red tomato-shaped rash that it causes on the body of infected individuals.
"The symptoms of tomato flu are similar to those of any viral infection with precursors of fatigue, body aches, joint pain, cold and cough, followed by a moderate to high-grade fever and a tomato-shaped red rash all over the body. There may be abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, loose stools and discoloration," he added. The skin on the hands, elbows, knees and buttocks... dehydration is a worrying sign of illness that needs hospitalization."
According to doctors, there is no specific medicine for tomato flu.
However, symptoms resolve on their own when appropriate care and support is provided to affected patients.
Is tomato flu related to tomato fruits?
The answer is no.
The name came from the shape of the pimples that appear on the patient's body.
For his part, Hussein Abdel Rahman Abu Saddam, head of the General Syndicate of Farmers in Egypt, said that tomatoes are 100% safe, and have nothing to do with the so-called tomato flu, according to what he said in press statements reported by Al-Masry Al-Youm.
Abu Saddam explained that "the causes of this disease are still unknown, and that it is a contagious disease like any other contagious disease. We need to prevent it by avoiding mixing with the patient while maintaining personal hygiene."
The head of the Farmers Syndicate indicated that eating tomatoes does not cause this disease, and that the reason for naming the disease by this name is the similarity of the skin rash that results from infection with this disease with tomatoes, and that the disease has not been officially announced to enter Egypt so far, and several cases of it have appeared in India.