Tomato flu, Nipah keep Karnataka health dept on alert

BENGALURU: Covid is on the wane, but two new diseases in the neighbouring states are keeping the Karnataka government on its toes. Tomato flu, a virus infection causing skin irritation, dehydration, and rashes mainly in children under the age of five is being reported in Kerala. Also, as it’s the beginning of the breeding season for bats that carry the Nipah virus, Kerala has sounded an alert. 

“Two advisories are being sent out to district health officials. Though there have been no cases of ‘tomato flu’ in Karnataka, Kerala has detected 80. It is important for our officials to be aware of its symptoms and to alert us immediately if they notice such cases,” said Randeep D, Commissioner, Health and Family Welfare Department.

Border districts -- Mangaluru, Udupi, Kodagu, Chamarjanagar and Mysuru -- have been told to keep a vigil on daily travellers from Kerala and also to monitor children for any symptoms in OPDs. Dr Aditya S Chowti, Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine, Fortis Hospital, said hospitals in Karnataka have not reported any tomato flu cases till now. Symptoms include red rashes and skin irritation, exhaustion, joint discomfort, high fever, nausea, common cold, cramps and body ache.

In Kerala and Tamil Nadu, it is termed ‘tomato flu’ as the water-filled lesions are red.
Hand, Foot, Mouth Disease?
But Dr Archana M, Consultant -- paediatric infectious disease, Manipal Hospital, Old Airport Road, said the medical name for ‘tomato flu’ is ‘Hand Foot Mouth Disease’. 

Nipah, Tomato Flu scare: Surveillance up

“It is caused by viruses from the enterovirus genus, most commonly the coxsackievirus. It is usually seen among children of less than five years old,” she added. She said it is a contagious infection and can spread through contact and air. It can spread at daycare centres and other places. The doctor added that they have been seeing such cases in Manipal Hospital and in the last one month, there has been an increase. 

Dr Sirkanta JT, Consultant -- Paediatric Interventional Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine, Aster CMI Hospital, said that if any child is infected then adequate hydration should be maintained, adequate analgesics for fever should be taken and most importantly, scratching of blisters should be avoided. 

Karnataka is also closely observing Nipah virus symptoms among people in districts bordering Kerala. Dr Rajendra KV, Deputy Commissioner, Dakshina Kannada, said, “There was a similar scare a few months ago. But we are taking care. We cannot stop every vehicle coming into the district. However, as 90 per cent of people from Kasargod come to Dakshina Kannada, we are keeping a close watch.” He said field officers have been told to step up surveillance.

Nipah is a zoonotic disease and the virus can be transmitted to humans from animals, mainly bats or pigs. It was found that the fruit bats were the carriers of the virus. Symptoms can appear from four days to two weeks after exposure to the virus. Patients usually report a fever and headache accompanied by symptoms of respiratory illness such as cough, sore throat, and difficulty in breathing. If the disease progresses to encephalitis, the patient may experience drowsiness, disorientation, and confusion, which can then progress quickly to a coma within one to two days and could even lead to death.