The Chandigarh administration’s health department on Thursday released an advisory of the Union Government of India on Tomato Flu. While no case of the disease has been reported from UT Chandigarh, the guidelines have been circulated for public awareness. Tomato Flu is a viral disease and the name comes from the main symptom of this disease, tomato-shaped blisters on several body parts. The blisters start as red-coloured and small and resemble tomatoes when they enlarge. Tomato flu is a self-limiting infectious disease. Primary symptoms observed in children are similar to those of other viral infections — which include fever, rashes, and pain in joints. Rashes on the skin can also lead to skin irritation. As with other viral infections, symptoms also include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, dehydration, swelling of joints, body aches, and common influenza-like symptoms. In children with these symptoms, molecular and serological tests are done for diagnosis of dengue, chikungunya, zika virus, varicella-zoster virus, and herpes; once these viral infections are ruled out, a diagnosis of tomato flu is considered. The treatment of the disease is similar to other viral infections — isolation for 5 to 7 days from onset of any symptom to prevent the spread, rest, plenty of fluids, and a hot water sponge for relief from irritation and rashes. Supportive therapy of paracetamol for fever and body ache and other symptomatic treatments are required. Tomato flu is a self-limiting illness and no specific drug exists to treat it. PreventionSubscriber Only StoriesView AllPremiumBuoyancy in direct tax collections … if it continues, could cross B...PremiumBastar: 64-ft-tall spire belies govt claims of shrinking Maoist footprintPremium28 yrs in Pak jail, Gujarat man is back home — to smartphones, new worldPremiumPandora Papers probe: Most foreign jurisdictions respond to FIU queriesSubscribe Now to get 64% OFFChandigarh News1Chandigarh court orders filing of FIR 3 yrs after mystery death of city resident2No provision under any law in which a dead person can adopt a child, says Punjab and Haryana HC3Agro-economist Sukhpal Singh is Punjab farmers’ panel chiefMore from Chandigarh The best solution for prevention is the maintenance of proper hygiene and sanitisation of the surrounding environment. Avoid immediate contact with the infected person. Don’t scratch or rub the blister and wash every time you touch these blisters. Try to stay hydrated. Use warm water to clean the skin or for bathing the child. Take a nutrition-rich, balanced diet to boost immunity. As yet, no anti-viral drugs or vaccines are available for the treatment or prevention of tomato flu. Further follow-up and monitoring for serious outcomes are needed to better understand the need for potential treatments.
Read More..