The causative agent of tomato flu, also known as tomato fever, was first detected in May 2022 in Kollam district of Kerala, writes the Lancet Respiratory Medicine Journal .

The symptoms of tomato flu

The name of the virus is derived from one of the symptoms, as infected people have red and painful blisters all over the body.
As the disease progresses, they can even reach the size of a tomato. The researchers state that these blisters are also similar to those seen in the monkeypox virus.

Other symptoms include fatigue, body aches, headaches and fever and are therefore similar to a flu-like infection. In some cases, vomiting and diarrhea may also occur.

How dangerous is tomato flu?

The virus is endemic and researchers classify it as “not life-threatening”. The risk of a pandemic occurring here is low.

It is also still being discussed whether it could be a residual effect of chikungunya or dengue fever in children rather than a viral infection.
It also cannot be ruled out that tomato flu could be a new variant of the viral hand, foot and mouth disease. – A common infectious disease that primarily affects children aged 1 – 5 years and immunocompromised adults.

To date, there are no known cases of adult infections. From May 6th to July 26th, 2022, 82 cases reported in India, all of which affected children under the age of 5.

Since the virus is very contagious, researchers recommend observing hygiene measures, as with corona and flu infections. Infected people should also be isolated for around a week.

No connection to COVID-19

Although the tomato flu virus shows some similar symptoms to COVID-19, the virus is not related to SARS.

Source: Lancet Respiratory Medicine Journal , t-online

You might also be interested in: Monkeypox is not only transmitted through sexual contact


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