Tomato flu/fever - An analysis of the Hand Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak reported in India.
The term "Tomato Flu" or "Tomato Fever" is the colloquial term in India used to describe multiple diseases that present with a fever and rash, with characteristic red, "tomato" shaped blister that appears on different parts of the body, which begin small and increase in...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Book |
| Published: |
University of New South Wales,
2022-11-01T00:00:00Z.
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Connect to this object online. |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | The term "Tomato Flu" or "Tomato Fever" is the colloquial term in India used to describe multiple diseases that present with a fever and rash, with characteristic red, "tomato" shaped blister that appears on different parts of the body, which begin small and increase in size as disease progresses. Some controversy exists on this 'new viral "flu" that emerged in May 2022 over a period of 2 weeks in areas in the south of India. Currently, local healthcare workers have been encouraged to address the disease as a variant of Hand Foot and Mouth Disease to avoid unnecessary panic on the emergence of a "new outbreak". With the circulation of other viruses, inadequate testing and poor-quality surveillance in a low resource setting, where healthcare systems are already burdened with ongoing monkeypox outbreak and COVID-19 pandemic, the use of colloquial terms may cause unnecessary panic in the current hypervigilant climate. Confirmation from Government is required to confirm whether this outbreak is due to a mixed infection or a variant of the highly infectious Hand Foot and Mouth Disease virus. |
|---|---|
| Item Description: | 2652-0036 10.31646/gbio.177 |