In the Kerala region of India, in May 2022, a viral disease seen under 5 years old and increasing rapidly was detected. Although the flu virus (influenza) is not the cause of the disease, which is characterized by rashes and fever in the body, for some reason, a name such as tomato flu or tomato fever has been given, which is not in the medical literature, due to the presence of fever, muscle pain and similar flu symptoms.
The subject has also attracted attention because a short article was written on the subject in the Lancet, one of the most important journals of the medical community. Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Specialist Dr. Instructor Member Servet Öztürk made statements.
WHAT ARE TOMATO FLU SYMPTOMS?
The disease, which has not been detected outside India so far, usually progresses with fever, fatigue, joint and muscle pains, as well as rashes in the body in children under 5 years old. In adults, it manifests itself with mild rash and fatigue symptoms. Similar to other viral infections, there is no specific treatment for this disease, which does not have a specific treatment, other than isolation, increasing fluid consumption and symptomatic treatments to prevent the transmission of the disease. The disease is thought to be a variant of hand-foot-mouth disease, another viral infection common throughout the world. It has been stated that in some patients, hand-foot-mouth disease virus was detected.
THE MOST IMPORTANT WAY TO PROTECT FROM MANY INFECTIONS PERSONAL HYGIENE
Although there were common viral outbreaks before the Covid-19 pandemic, such small outbreaks attract media and public attention due to the fear of a new post-pandemic pandemic. The most important way to protect yourself from many infections is to follow the rules of personal hygiene and not to be in places with poor ventilation. Mediterranean type diet, avoiding fast-food diet, avoiding smoking and alcohol use, benefiting from sunlight and regular exercise can be listed as the factors that strengthen our natural immunity against infections as well as protection from cardiovascular diseases.