NEW DELHI : With more than 100 cases of Tomato Flu reported in younger children below 9 years of age in India from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Haryana and Odisha, the union health ministry has issued an advisory on Tomato flu—also known as Hand Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) suggesting with symptoms, treatment and prevention citing that the infection is common in school going children.
Tomato Flu is a viral disease. The name “Tomato Flu" comes from the main symptom of this disease, the tomato-shaped blisters on several body parts.
Primary symptoms observed in children are fever, rashes and pain in joints, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, dehydration, swelling of joints, body aches, and common influenza-like symptoms.
It begins with mild fever, poor appetite, malaise, and often a sore throat. In May, Tomato Flu was first identified in the Kollam district of Kerala and till 26 July more than 82 children younger than 5 years with the infection have been reported by the local government hospitals.