Hello all. It has been a while since I appeared in your mailbox. But I’m back with the latest in dismal pandemic news. Not Covid. And not even Monkey Pox (despite the numerous requests to write something about it). No, I wanted to make sure that my discerning readers could be the first to raise the alarm at parties or work (if you go there anymore) on a new threat: Tomato Flu.
You are probably thinking, “Tomato Flu, surely he is just making s**t up now.” Nope. You can’t make this one up. Tomato Flu is a real thing. So let me anticipate and answer your questions in dialogue form.
OK, I’ll bite; what is Tomato Flu?
According to this article in The Lancet from just last week, Tomato Flu (or Fever) is a new virus that has appeared in the Indian State of Kerala in recent months in children under 5. Here is a more complete description:
Although the tomato flu virus shows symptoms similar to those of COVID-19 (both are associated with fever, fatigue, and bodyaches initially, and some patients with COVID-19 also report rashes on the skin), the virus is not related to SARS-CoV-2. Tomato flu could be an after-effect of chikungunya or dengue fever in children rather than a viral infection. The virus could also be a new variant of the viral hand, foot, and mouth disease, a common infectious disease targeting mostly children aged 1–5 years and immunocompromised adults, and some case studies have even shown hand, foot, and mouth disease in immunocompetent adults. Tomato flu is a self-limiting illness and no specific drug exists to treat it.
So it doesn’t sound fun, nor does it sound serious, but neither do scientists really know what it is. It appears like a combination of Covid-19 and Monkeypox symptoms designed, so kids will be able to say, “see, we didn’t have it that easy either, boomer.”
So how many people has this infected?
Well, as of the end of July, 82 in Kerala (or a town in Kerala, I couldn’t quite tell). There are probably more cases now, but apparently, people aren’t really counting.
How is it spread?
It seems like it is spread through close contact, which apparently the kids today are still doing. It is apparently very infectious, though. But I couldn’t find an R0 number or even a guess of one. Some scientists think that there may just be more cases because people report such things more often due to Covid.
Why is it called “Tomato Flu”?
Now that is a good question. Ever since the WHO decided to give up on trying to name things after Omicron and tried to revise Monkey Pox to something that took the heat off the monkeys, they haven’t been too imaginative on names. When it comes to Tomato Flu, the WHO has appeared to drop the ball.
But near as I can gather from media reports, the rash that accompanies this thing has large red splotches which looked like a tomato to the first toddler a parent tried to reassure, and the name stuck. From the pictures I have seen, Blood Splatter Flu or Attacked by a Swarm of Bees Flu would be more accurate. In any case, some medical people interviewed by the news are trying to get us more anxious by pinning the whole thing on “Coxsackievirus A-6 and A-16” which I have to admit sounds pretty worrying. It is a variant apparently of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), which, since we have heard of that, is meant to be reassuring.
Do we have to be concerned?
Well, most news reports end with something like this exchange for an Australian newspaper.
‘These days the world is a very small place and so if there is a significant new virus, it is likely it will come here in time,” he said.
“I think while it’s likely we’ll see some here. I don’t think we need to be too concerned.
“It doesn‘t look like it’s causing all that much severe disease and it’s probably very similar to viruses we already have. Australia’s healthcare and public health system are so good, I’m sure that we’ll be able to manage it very well.
“Hopefully, one of the benefits of having been through a very significant pandemic is that people’s health literacy, in terms of viral diseases, and simple measures to stop transmission will be already at a high level.”
That was from Paul Griffin, an infectious disease researcher who it seemed to me, was a tad too excited about seeing some Tomato flu cases for himself. He then offered this reassurance.
“Viruses have been detected and emerge all the time in the past,” Mr Griffin said.
No kidding, Paul! We kinda already have realised that.
Anyhow, experts kept on saying it was “self-limiting”, which I took to mean that doctors would tell you to stay home, drink plenty of fluids, try not to scratch, and it’ll be right in a few days.
So this newsletter didn’t really provide any actionable information?
No, it did not. The idea was to make you seem cooler at the water cooler when people are talking about Monkey Pox, and you can say, “well have you heard about Tomato Flu?” and sound like you are more on top of things.