A new virus known as tomato flu, or tomato fever, has surfaced in Kerela, India in children under the age of five. This comes at the same time as India is dealing with the potential appearance of the fourth wave of COVID-19. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, cautious management is being preferred to stop additional outbreaks of the unusual viral illness, which is in an endemic condition and is not thought to be life-threatening yet. On May 6, 2022, the Kollam district of Kerela reported the first case of tomato flu. As of July 26, 2022, the local government hospitals had diagnosed the infection in more than 82 children under the age of five. Other regions of Kerela that have been impacted are Anchal, Aryankavu, and Neduvathur. The neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka too were alerted to this prevalent viral disease.

The Regional Medical Research Centre in Bhubaneswar also revealed that 26 youngsters (aged 1 to 9 years) in the state of Odisha showed symptoms of the virus. Other than these states, no other parts of India have seen the virus's effects as of yet. The Kerela Health Department is taking precautions, nevertheless, to track the virus's spread and stop it from spreading to other regions of the country. Although its symptoms are similar to that of COVID 19, Lancet confirms that it is not another variant of the virus. Tomato flu may not actually be a viral illness in children, but rather a result of dengue or chikungunya fever. The virus may possibly represent a novel strain of the viral hand, foot, and mouth disease, a prevalent infectious illness that mostly affects children and people with impaired immune systems. In certain case studies, immune-competent individuals have also been seen to have the condition. Since tomato flu is a self-limiting condition, no particular medication is available to treat it. According to Lancet 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. Tomato flu gained its name on the basis of the eruption of red and painful blisters throughout the body that gradually enlarge to the size of a tomato. These blisters resemble those seen with the monkeypox virus in young individuals. Rashes also appear on the skin with tomato flu that led to skin irritation. As with other viral infections, further symptoms include, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, dehydration, swelling of joints, body aches, and common influenza-like symptoms, which are similar to those manifested in dengue. In children with these symptoms, molecular and serological tests are done for the diagnosis of dengue, chikungunya, zika virus, varicella-zoster virus, and herpes; once these viral infections are ruled out, contraction of tomato virus is confirmed. Supportive therapy of paracetamol for fever and body ache and other symptomatic treatments are required. Due to the prevalence of viral illnesses in children and the likelihood of close contact transmission, children are more likely to be exposed to tomato flu. The use of diapers, touching dirty surfaces, and putting objects directly in their mouths increase the risk of this illness in young children. If the tomato flu outbreak in children is not contained and halted, transmission might have major repercussions by spreading to adults.

A new virus known as tomato flu, or tomato fever, has surfaced in Kerela, India in children under the age of five. This comes at the same time as India is dealing with the potential appearance of the fourth wave of COVID-19. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, cautious management is being preferred to stop additional outbreaks of the unusual viral illness, which is in an endemic condition and is not thought to be life-threatening yet. On May 6, 2022, the Kollam district of Kerela reported the first case of tomato flu. As of July 26, 2022, the local government hospitals had diagnosed the infection in more than 82 children under the age of five. Other regions of Kerela that have been impacted are Anchal, Aryankavu, and Neduvathur. The neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka too were alerted to this prevalent viral disease.

The Regional Medical Research Centre in Bhubaneswar also revealed that 26 youngsters (aged 1 to 9 years) in the state of Odisha showed symptoms of the virus. Other than these states, no other parts of India have seen the virus's effects as of yet. The Kerela Health Department is taking precautions, nevertheless, to track the virus's spread and stop it from spreading to other regions of the country. Although its symptoms are similar to that of COVID 19, Lancet confirms that it is not another variant of the virus. Tomato flu may not actually be a viral illness in children, but rather a result of dengue or chikungunya fever. The virus may possibly represent a novel strain of the viral hand, foot, and mouth disease, a prevalent infectious illness that mostly affects children and people with impaired immune systems. In certain case studies, immune-competent individuals have also been seen to have the condition. Since tomato flu is a self-limiting condition, no particular medication is available to treat it. According to Lancet 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. Tomato flu gained its name on the basis of the eruption of red and painful blisters throughout the body that gradually enlarge to the size of a tomato. These blisters resemble those seen with the monkeypox virus in young individuals. Rashes also appear on the skin with tomato flu that led to skin irritation. As with other viral infections, further symptoms include, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, dehydration, swelling of joints, body aches, and common influenza-like symptoms, which are similar to those manifested in dengue. In children with these symptoms, molecular and serological tests are done for the diagnosis of dengue, chikungunya, zika virus, varicella-zoster virus, and herpes; once these viral infections are ruled out, contraction of tomato virus is confirmed. Supportive therapy of paracetamol for fever and body ache and other symptomatic treatments are required. Due to the prevalence of viral illnesses in children and the likelihood of close contact transmission, children are more likely to be exposed to tomato flu. The use of diapers, touching dirty surfaces, and putting objects directly in their mouths increase the risk of this illness in young children. If the tomato flu outbreak in children is not contained and halted, transmission might have major repercussions by spreading to adults.