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New virus broke out in India, targeting children *For medical professionals only, on July 26, local government hospitals reported more than 82 children under the age of 5 infected with the virus, against the backdrop of still rising global COVID-19 cases and Asia's first death from monkeypox After appearing in India, according to a report by "India Today" on August 21, India has recently reported a series of new influenza cases - more than 80 cases of "tomato flu" (more than 100 cases so far), and the patients are all aged 1. -9 years old. The Lancet magazine published an article on August 17 stating that tomato flu was first detected in Kollam district of Kerala on May 6 this year. As of July 26 this year, local government hospitals reported more than 82 cases of 5 Children under the age of 2 have contracted the virus. In addition, Bhubaneswar Regional Medical Research Centre reported that 26 children (1-9 years old) in Odisha had the disease. Is tomato flu really caused by a virus? Although tomato flu showed similar symptoms to COVID-19 (both were initially associated with fever, fatigue, and body aches, and some COVID-19 patients also reported skin rashes), the flu was not related to SARS-CoV-2. The Lancet believes that tomato flu may be a sequelae of childhood chikungunya or dengue rather than a viral infection. But it could also be caused by a new variant of the virus in hand, foot and mouth disease. Knowledge link: Hand, foot and mouth disease is a common infectious disease that mainly targets children aged 1-5 and adults with immunocompromised conditions. But some case studies have shown that HFMD also occurs in immunocompetent adults. According to Indian infectious disease experts and The Lancet, tomato flu is a self-limiting disease and there is currently no specific drug to treat it. The symptoms of tomato flu are similar to chikungunya disease. Chikungunya disease is caused by the chikungunya virus (CHIKV), which is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes and is an acute infectious disease with fever, rash and joint pain as the main symptoms. The main symptoms of tomato flu are similar to those of chikungunya, including high fever, rash and severe joint pain. Tomato flu gets its name from red, painful blisters that erupt all over the body and gradually expand to the size of a tomato. These blisters resemble the monkeypox virus seen in young adults. As with other viral infections, other symptoms include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, swollen joints, body aches and common flu-like symptoms that are similar to those of dengue fever. Tomato flu is currently diagnosed exclusively by molecular and serological testing in children with these symptoms to differentially diagnose dengue, chikungunya, Zika, varicella-zoster, and herpes. Once these viral infections are ruled out, tomato virus infection can be suspected. Symptomatic treatment is the mainstay Because tomato flu is similar to chikungunya and dengue, as well as hand, foot and mouth disease, so are the treatments — isolation, rest, drinking plenty of water, and relieving discomfort from the rash. Symptomatic treatment of fever and body pain in children is also required. According to current epidemiology, viral infection is common in children aged 1-9 and may be transmitted through close contact, so children are at increased risk of exposure to tomato flu. Young children are also susceptible to the disease by using diapers, touching dirty surfaces, and putting things directly in their mouths. Given the similarities to hand, foot and mouth disease, if outbreaks of tomato flu in children are not controlled and prevented, the contagion could have serious consequences by spreading among immunocompromised adults. Prevention and control of tomato flu is critical Similar to other types of flu, tomato flu is highly contagious. Therefore, careful isolation of confirmed or suspected cases and other precautions must be taken to prevent the spread of the tomato flu virus from Kerala to other parts of India and from India to other countries. If a patient develops relevant symptoms, they should be isolated for 5-7 days from the same day to prevent the infection from spreading to other children or adults. The best way to prevent is to maintain proper hygiene and sanitize the surrounding environment and household items, and prevent infected children from sharing toys, clothing, food or other items with other uninfected children. To date, there are no antiviral drugs or vaccines available to treat or prevent tomato flu. Further follow-up of children with tomato flu and the recording and monitoring of children's sequelae and adverse outcomes are needed. A variety of viral infections have struck around the world. Nowadays, the new crown epidemic is one after another. According to the latest statistics from Johns Hopkins University, the cumulative number of confirmed new crown cases in the world has exceeded 600 million. In addition, monkeypox virus has broken out in many countries. According to the data updated by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on September 6, the United States has reported a total of 20,733 cases of human infection with monkeypox virus, ranking first in the world. And also on September 6, the Center for Health Protection of the Hong Kong Government's Department of Health announced that Hong Kong had the first imported case of monkeypox... In the face of this situation, everyone should pay attention to personal hygiene and environmental care, wash hands frequently, and wear masks. Children with low immunity should strengthen the protection of children, including wearing masks, paying attention to hand hygiene, maintaining social distance, isolation and indoor ventilation [2]. The specifics are as follows:
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