“Are we going to stop consuming tomatoes?” is a question that many asked on social media as soon as news spread of a disease known as “tomato flu,” thinking that it was caused by the tomatoes themselves, and that it was a new virus that infected a type of food, and spread From them to humans, such as bird flu, swine flu, or mad cow disease. But the truth is that it is a skin disease that is so named, but it has nothing to do with any type of food at all.
The “tomato flu” caused concern, even though it is a “normal and well-known disease”, according to experts.
The name tomato was given to this disease because those infected with it have red spots on the skin, and there has been much talk about it recently, after Indian news sites published news of children being infected with it, and after the fear of monkeypox, which recently infected hundreds of people in some countries.
And tomato flu is a fever that affected some children in Kerala, most of them under the age of five. The Hindustan Times website quoted media reports that the disease affected more than 80 children in the state.
When asked about the origin of this disease, Dr. Dirar Balawi, an infectious disease consultant, said, “There is no disease called tomato flu, which is a non-medical term, and the cases that have appeared in India are a description of the Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease, HFMD).
In his interview with Al-Hurra website, he explained that this disease usually affects children under the age of five years, and it is “a common infection caused by a group of enteroviruses.”
Symptoms
Balawi said that his symptoms include “fever and feeling generally unwell. After a day or two, flat spots or bumps appear that change color, usually red, so they called it tomato flu.”
He added that these bumps “may appear on the hands, feet, mouth, and sometimes the buttocks. Signs and symptoms appear normally 3-6 days after exposure to the virus.”
Balawi stressed that “there is no need to worry about it, and it is a normal and well-known virus that occurs annually periodically, and there is no fear of its spread as an epidemic,” and usually “the rash generally disappears on its own within about a week.”
He pointed out that “the loss of fingernails and toenails may occur after a few weeks, but they will grow back over time.”
He added that it can be spread “through close personal contact, or coughing, sneezing, fluids that are in the skin blisters, and the stool of an infected person. Contaminated objects can also spread the disease.”
According to the Hindustan Times, the flu causes “skin rashes and blisters on the affected child’s body, which are generally red in color, in addition to skin irritation and dryness, and affected children may suffer from a high temperature, body aches, swellings in the joints, fatigue, and cramps.” Stomach, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, discoloration of the skin on the hands, knees, and buttocks, coughing, sneezing, and a runny nose.
For his part, the epidemiologist, Dr. Ahmed Al-Tasa, stressed that “there is no need to worry about viruses transmitted by touch only, because their spread is not in an easy way.”
In his speech to Al-Hurra, he said that “it is difficult for this type of virus to reach an epidemic level,” that is, it is difficult to turn into an epidemic, and therefore these types are usually confined to “narrow groups.”
He added that the virus that is transmitted by touch, “its symptoms are quick to appear, and thus the diagnosis becomes easy, and therefore it becomes possible to control it, unlike the Corona virus.”
protection
Regarding the prevention of this disease, Balawi said that “hand washing is very important to prevent the spread of the virus, and the infected should not go to work, nursery or school.”
He pointed out that “there is no medicine or vaccine against these viruses (…) and most cases do not require specific treatment. Simple pain relievers such as paracetamol can be used. From time to time, intravenous fluids are given to children who cannot drink enough of Liquids”.
Al-Tasa, in turn, said that “these diseases can be prevented by staying away from anyone who has a fever or heat, avoiding touching the infected, washing hands, and maintaining physical hygiene.”
He added, “Prevention methods are the basis for avoiding infection with this type of disease, rather than treatment methods.”
Hindustan Times says that “a doctor should be consulted if the child shows any symptoms of influenza. The affected child should avoid scratching the blisters and keep them clean.”