Is Tomato Fever Just Another Name For Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease?

New Delhi: Indian doctors are saying that the description of tomato fever, said to be spreading in the country, is misleading. A few back, a report in The Lancet issued an alert on the rising cases of tomato fever or tomato flu in India. However, doctors and health experts are saying that it is a misleading colloquial name for Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD).

“Tomato fever is not a scientific name. It has been loosely used to describe a common mild viral illness called Hand Foot and Mouth disease. Unfortunately, a recent publication in The Lancet claims that the lesions gradually enlarge to the size of a tomato, which is completely wrong, misleading and alarming,” India Today quoted experts as saying.

“The illness is commonly caused by the Coxsackie virus which results in small 4-6 mm red spots on the skin that later become bubbles with fluid inside. The skin lesions can appear on the hands, feet and buttocks. It spreads by contact between young children and is self-limiting, requiring only supportive treatment. It has no connection with tomatoes,” Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, a member of IMA in Kochi told the publication.