<\/p>\n
Ever since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, people have been more concerned than ever about potential disease threats.<\/p>\n
The newest of these is called \u201ctomato flu,\u201d and has affected over 100 children in India, according to a recent correspondence in\u00a0The LancetTrusted Source<\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n The authors report that tomato flu, likely a viral disease, was first identified in the Kollam district of Kerala, India on May 6, 2022.<\/p>\n According to The Lancet, the disease is considered non-life-threatening and resolves on its own in time.<\/p>\n The Lancet reports that primary symptoms observed in infected children resemble those of\u00a0chikungunyaTrusted Source<\/span><\/span><\/a>, a mosquito-borne illness, and include high fever, rashes, and intense pain in joints.<\/p>\n Similar to many viral infections, other symptoms include, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, dehydration, swelling of joints, body aches, and common flu-like symptoms, which resemble those of\u00a0dengueTrusted Source<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u2013 another disease spread by mosquitoes.<\/p>\n \u201cTransmission is likely to be through close contact,\u201d\u00a0Hannah Newman<\/a>, MPH, director of infection prevention at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, told Healthline.<\/p>\n \u201cThe virus has been named tomato flu on the basis of the red, painful blisters it causes that can mimic the look and size of a tomato,\u201d Newman explained.<\/p>\n She said while the disease is thought to be non-life threatening, it can cause an uncomfortable rash, fevers, and joint pain.<\/p>\n