Why in News:

Doctors have sounded an alarm over the emergence of a new non-life-threatening virus called tomato flu among the children below five years of age, in India.

What causes it

• The ‘tomato flu’ is caused by Coxsackie virus A 16. It belongs to the Enterovirus family.
• Hand-foot-and-mouth-disease (HFMD) is a frequent febrile rash illness of childhood caused by enteroviruses (EV):

Symptoms

• ·The flu is said to affect children below five years of age.
• The primary symptoms observed in children with tomato flu are similar to those of chikungunya, which include high fever, rashes, and intense pain in joints. 
• As with other viral infections, further symptoms include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, dehydration, swelling of joints, body aches, and common influenza-like symptoms, which are similar to those manifested in dengue.

Transmission

• Tomato flu is very contagious and children are at increased risk of exposure to tomato flu as viral infections are common in this age group and spread is likely to be through close contact.
• Young children are also prone to this infection through use of nappies, touching unclean surfaces, and putting things directly into the mouth.

Treatment

• Tomato flu is a self-limiting one and there is no specific drug for this.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/lancet-warns-about-tomato-flu-in-india-among-children/article65797279.ece