India's southern state reports 'tomato flu' cases

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) – The southern Indian state of Kerala reported cases of "tomato flu" or hand, foot, and mouth (HFMD) disease as doctors called for more caution to prevent the spread of the virus.

The infection causes rashes, skin irritation and dehydration, and painful blisters, and sometime it may be fatal as well, according to doctors.

Medical journal The Lancet last week in a report said that as of July 26, more than "82 children younger than 5 years with the infection have been reported by the local government hospitals."

Dr. Meenakshy V, a senior official at Kerala's Health Department, told Anadolu Agency that the state has reported cases of HFMD, mostly among children.

“We have been seeing the hand, foot, and mouth disease previously as well. We see such cases mostly during the summer season,” she said.

The first case of the virus was reported in the Kollam district of the state, according to The Lancet.

The neighboring states of Kerala have also issued a health warning after cases were reported in Kerala.

The Lancet report also said apart from the states of Kerala, Tamilnadu, and Odisha, no other regions in India have been affected by the virus and that the infections could also be a new variant of the viral hand, foot, and mouth disease.

The journal said like other types of influenza, "tomato flu is very contagious."

"Hence, it is mandatory to follow careful isolation of confirmed or suspected cases and other precautionary steps to prevent the outbreak of the tomato flu virus from Kerala to other parts of India," it said.

Dr. Jacob John, a prominent virologist in southern India, told Anadolu Agency that hand, foot, and mouth disease cases are being referred to as "tomato flu" cases here.

"The name ‘tomato flu’ has no scientific support. It is named tomato flu in newspapers because the rash is red in color," he said.

He said that HFMD is caused by two different viruses – Coxsackievirus-A16 and Enterovirus-71.

“In India, we have seen HFMD cases mostly on the western coast. It is not a scary disease, but we have to be more vigilant about the HFMD viruses,” he said.