Tomato flu in India: What is the new virus all about?
Initial studies on tomato flu are already providing insights into the disease, which, like COVID-19, is caused by viruses. However, these come from a different family than the corona virus.
What is tomato flu?
Tomato flu, also known as tomato fever, is a viral disease that has so far only been found in children up to the age of nine.
The exact origins of the virus have not yet been clarified. The disease could occur as a result of infection with the dengue or chikungunya virus  , but also be triggered by a variant of the enterovirus, which is a common pathogen of hand, foot and mouth disease  . As part of a study by British researchers, the coxsackieviruses A16 and A6 CA6, which belong to the enterovirus species, were detected in two cases in those affected with tomato flu.
What are the symptoms of tomato flu?
As the name suggests, tomato flu causes flu-like symptoms. The following signs can indicate the disease:
In addition, the typical skin rash appears.  The blisters are red and painful and can swell up to the size of a tomato. Visually, these blisters are reminiscent of the rash seen in younger monkeypox sufferers. The tomato flu owes its name to this symptom and the associated flu-like symptoms.
How is tomato flu contracted?
According to current knowledge, the tomato flu can be transmitted in a similar way to the flu  – i.e. via droplet infection when speaking, coughing  or sneezing or via a smear infection from contaminated objects. Since children pay less attention to distance or hygiene and, for example, put objects in their mouths, the disease spreads more easily among them. In principle, however, researchers see the possibility that adults can also become infected with tomato flu.
Is the disease dangerous?
There have been isolated reports of deaths related to tomato flu. These were initially misdiagnosed as food poisoning. However, the relevant reporting is contradictory – reliable information that confirms the tomato flu as the cause of the deaths does not exist so far.
It is generally accepted at this point in time that the disease, despite its unpleasant symptoms, is not life-threatening. Nevertheless, the researchers recommend isolating those affected for up to seven days and generally observing hygiene measures such as frequent hand washing and disinfecting contaminated objects in order to prevent the virus from spreading.
There is no specific therapy, so the disease can only be treated symptomatically – for example with paracetamol  for fever and drinking enough liquid.
How many cases are known so far?
According to a report in the scientific journal Immunity, Inflammation and Disease, there had already been cases of tomato flu in the state of Kerala in 2007. The researchers refer to an article published at the time on the health website “Medindia”. At that time, the disease was already being referred to as “tomato fever”. In medical circles it was already suspected at the time that it was a result of Chikungunya fever.
In 2022, as of July 26, 108 cases of infected children were reported by the relevant hospitals in India. 82 of them come from Kerala, 26 from the neighboring state of Odisha.
In addition, an August 19 publication in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal reports two cases of tomato flu in the UK. The affected children were infected on a trip to Kerala. However, the infection took place in May and the children were examined in June. Both have now recovered. No other cases in Great Britain or other countries are known.