What Is Tomato Flu, the New Illness Detected in India?
As of now, tomato flu does not appear to be life-threatening.paper noted 82 cases of the illness, and none of the patients died. Tomato flu is "not serious," Dr. Adalja says, although Dr. Russo points out that the rash can be uncomfortable.Tomato flu will go away on its own and there is no specific drug to treat it,says. However, patients could be treated with OTC fever-reducing medications like acetaminophen and ibuprofen, Dr. Russo says.As of now, experts say you shouldn’t panic.
But Dr. Adalja says he expects tomato flu will spread outside of the areas where it’s currently circulating. “Because these types of infections are caused by ubiquitous viruses that are contagious, it’s not something I expect to see restricted to one geographic region,” he says. “However this is not an infectious disease that merits worry.”
If tomato flu is, in fact, a form of hand, foot, and mouth disease, Dr. Russo says it has the potential to spread across the world. “The coxsackievirus is worldwide and infectious—and can easily spread,” Dr. Russo says.Korin Miller Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.