Over 100 cases of ‘tomato flu’ have been detected in the last one month in Assam, raising alarm bells for the health department.
‘Tomatu flu’ is a novel kind of hand, foot, mouth disease.
The highest number of cases has been reported from Dibrugarh district of Assam.
The health department has issued an advisory to the districts to keep the infected children in isolation for seven days. The district health officials have also been asked to inspect the pediatric outpatient departments in the district hospitals for early detection of cases.
However, the health department is yet to officially compile the number of confirmed cases in the state.
A previous advisory, shared by the health authorities, had stated that apart from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Haryana and Odisha, no other region in the country reported tomato flu until August 23.
Though multiple viruses can cause the disease, the health department sources said ‘Coxsackie’ has been responsible for the spread in states like Assam. Coxsackie is transmitted from person to person, through unwashed hands, contaminated surfaces and even through air.
According to the health experts, no specific drugs to treat the infection exist so far and they have also warned that the disease is ‘very contagious.’
