Two additional states in India are affected by the tomato flu outbreak.
Numerous children in Kerala, and now also in Tamil Nadu and Odisha, have been found to have a new viral infection.
A novel viral virus known as tomato flu, which was initially identified in youngsters in the state of Kerala in southern India in May, has spread to two other states.
As of 26 July, Kerala had reported 82 cases of the virus in children under the age of five, according to a report in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
Although the virus mostly affects children under the age of five, cases have already been documented in the neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu and Odisha in the east, where children as old as nine have been afflicted.
The kind of this pathogen is currently the focus of research. Due to the painful red blisters it generates on the body, it has been dubbed "tomato flu" and is very contagious. Children are particularly at risk because HPV spreads quickly through personal contact, such as using nappies, touching unclean surfaces, or placing items in their mouths.
The unusual viral infection is endemic and not thought to be life-threatening, but given the horrible experience of the Covid-19 pandemic, cautious control is preferred to prevent fresh outbreaks, according to the Lancet paper.
Doctors say it can be difficult to identify tomato flu because the signs of Covid, chikungunya, and dengue fever are so similar to those of tomato flu. The latter two are common in India during the rainy season and are transmitted by mosquitoes. Chikungunya is a reasonably common disease in Kerala.
The Lancet article suggests that rather than being a viral infection, tomato flu in children may be a consequence of chikungunya or dengue fever.
"The virus could also be a new strain of the viral hand, foot, and mouth disease," the article continues. This common infectious disease primarily affects children and adults with weakened immune systems. Immunocompetent persons have even contracted hand, foot, and mouth disease in several case studies.
a Senior Delhi government health official agreed that dengue and chikungunya can weaken children's immune systems, making them more susceptible to tomato flu. Delhi hasn't seen any cases yet, and I'm optimistic that won't change.
The development of tomato flu coincides with a steady increase in Covid and swine flu cases in India over the past few weeks.
The incidence of swine flu had decreased during the Covid era, but it is currently on the rise once more in the major cities, according to Prof. Dileep Mavalankar of the Gandhinagar Institute of Public Health. However, few people are tested for it because the test is pricey, therefore the statistics are murky.
0 Comments