Virologist links ‘tomato flu’ to hand, foot, mouth disease virus
A top Thai virologist has linked the “tomato flu” to the same virus that causes hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD).
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Dr Yong Poovorawan said tomato flu was identified in India’s Kerala state on May 6 when it infected nearly 100 children aged under five. The virus was also detected in the states of Tamil Nadu and Odisha.
The flu’s name was derived from the red water blisters patients develop. Symptoms are similar to ordinary flu with fever and body aches before the red blisters break out. The flu is not life-threatening and resolves on its own over time.
Yong suspects the symptoms are similar to Chikungunya virus, dengue fever and HFMD.
He said it will not be tough to investigate this disease because it has already been identified and it is known that the outbreak started in India. However, he said, the virus has not been officially announced yet.
Yong said reports in Indian newspapers indicate that “tomato flu” comes from the Coxsackievirus, which also causes HFMD.
In his post, Dr Yong also provided photographs comparing the rashes caused by tomato flu and those caused by the Coxsackie A6 virus that was detected in Thailand in 2012 and this year.
He added that he does not believe tomato flu comes from Enterovirus A71 as the symptoms were not severe. Also, when compared to the Chikungunya virus, he said small children did not suffer too much from joint pains, unlike older patients.
