The cases of Tomato flu infection have been flared up in India. Since the first case of tomato flu in Kerala’s Kollam on May 6, 82 children are infected so far, who are under the age of 5. This Tomato flu viral illness triggered an alert for the neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Additionally, 26 children (aged 19 years) have been infected with this disease in Odisha as stated by the Regional Medical Research Centre in Bhubaneswar. Apart from Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Odisha, no other regions in India have recorded any cases of tomato fever.

Children are at increased risk of exposure to tomato flu and since the adult's immune system is generally stronger than that of a child's, infection is rarely diagnosed in adults. Notably, the symptoms of tomato flu are similar to those of COVID and it usually starts with body aches, fever and fatigue. Other symptoms include- joint swelling, nausea, diarrhoea, dehydration, joint aches and high fever. There is no specific drug to treat tomato flu, however the tomato fever patients could be treated similarly as dengue, hand, foot and mouth disease and chikungunya patients.

 Source:

1.      Tomato flu outbreak in India (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(22)00300-9)

2.      https://kalingatv.com/state/26-children-infected-with-tomato-flu-in-odisha/

3.    https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/tomato-flu-india-kerala-82-tomato-fever-cases-lancet-1990499-2022-08-20