What is tomato flu and do U.S. parents need to worry about this contagious disease?

On the heels of COVID-19 and monkeypox, a viral outbreak of tomato flu has emerged in Kerala, India. The first case was detected May 6, and the virus has now spread to three other Indian states and has affected more than 100 children, according to the Times of India.

The flu gets its name from the red blisters that spread over the body and can enlarge to the size of a tomato. Other symptoms of the virus include fever, rash, fatigue, joint pain and body aches, according to the journal Lancet Respiratory Medicine. While much is unknown about the outbreak, experts at the Lancet said the virus is a variant of hand, foot and mouth disease or could be caused by aftereffects of the mosquito borne diseases chikungunya and dengue fever.

“This virus is not new,” lead author of a case report on the tomato flu, Julian Tang, M.D., Ph.D. told MedPage Today. “I don’t think this is something to be alarmed about.”

The virus is currently in an endemic state and is not life-threatening, according to the Lancet. However, the virus is highly contagious and can be spread through touch and infected clothing, bedding, toys or other personal items, according to Healthline.

The Lancet recommends isolation for five to seven days following the onset of symptoms and getting rest, drinking fluids, and using hot compresses for the rashes and blisters. The greater awareness of the virus might be because of increased testing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Perhaps there is more attention on the infection because more cases are being reported this year — this could either be because there actually are more cases or because we are more vigilant about viral infections and testing after COVID-19,” Dr. Ekta Gupta, professor of virology at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, told the Indian Express.

Most cases of tomato flu are self-limiting, and schools reopening might have caused the uptick of cases, according to the Indian Express. The risk of population spread is low and should not become a cause for concern for the United States yet, Healthline wrote. However, mismanagement of the virus can cause the disease to spread faster.

“Given the similarities to hand, foot and mouth disease, if the outbreak of tomato flu in children is not controlled and prevented, transmission might lead to serious consequences by spreading in adults as well,” the Lancet reported.

“Similar to other types of influenza, tomato flu is very contagious. Hence, it is mandatory to follow careful isolation of confirmed or suspected cases and other precautionary steps to prevent the outbreak of the tomato flu virus from Kerala to other parts of India.”

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