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‘Tomato Flu’ Outbreak Spreading Among Young Kids in India

Named for the painful, tomato-sized blisters that emerge throughout the body, the new, extremely contagious virus is affecting mostly children aged 1 to 5 in India.

A new, extremely contagious virus is reportedly spreading through children in India. Painful, red, tomato-sized blisters are the hallmark of the viral infection referred to as “tomato flu,” according to new research by The Lancet. Researchers named it after the huge blisters that emerge throughout the body once infected. The virus is said to be affecting mostly children aged 1 to 5 in several regions. Early symptoms include high fever, fatigue, body aches and severe joint pain, followed by the red blisters that slowly enlarge to the size of the fruit, which are similar to those caused by monkeypox. Symptoms also resemble those from COVID-19, dengue, chikungunya, the flu, and hand, foot and mouth disease, so multiple tests are run to rule out many possibilities before someone is diagnosed with tomato flu. Although there are no vaccines or anti-viral treatments for the tomato flu, which is not deadly, treatment consists of resting, drinking plenty of fluids and a hot water sponging of the rash.