Bhubaneswar:  Before India could take breath of ease following a marginal dip in COVID-19 cases, the country’s healthcare system has been thrown another challenge with detection of ‘tomato flu’ in parts of Kerala.

According to media reports, as many as 80 children from Kerala’s Kollam city have been infected with ‘tomato flu’ and the cases continue to rise.

On Wednesday, Karnataka Health Minister K. Sudhakar clarified that though the flu has symptoms similar to COVID-19, it has nothing to do with the latter.

As per latest information, the flu is majorly infecting children below the age of five and so far, the cases have been detected in Kerala’s Aryankavu, Anchal and Neduvathur regions. However, the Karnataka Government has directed authorities of Mangaluru, Udupi, Kodagu, Chamrajnagara and Mysuru districts to keep a strict vigil on daily travelers from Kerala.

What is Tomato flu?

Tomato flu or tomato fever is a viral fever infecting mostly children. The symptoms are similar with chikungunya or dengue fever. So far, cases of tomato flu infection have been reported in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

What are the symptoms?

Children infected with ‘tomato flu’ have rashes, red and round blisters on their skin. Some other common symptoms reported so far are:

• Body ache
• Dehydration
• Swelling
• Cramps
• Vomiting
• Fatigue
• Mouth irritation
• De-coloration of hands, legs and other parts of the body.
• Cough, sneeze and running nose.

 Treatment and preventive measures:

The causes of tomato flu are yet undiscovered. However, some basic measures one must follow are:

• Infected children must not touch or scratch the blisters.
• Drink boiled water.
• Maintain proper hand hygiene and cleanliness.
• Infected people must be isolated from healthy ones.
• If experiencing any symptom, immediately consult a doctor.