What is 'tomato flu' and do parents need to worry about it?
The outbreak is characterized by kids becoming unwell, developing fevers and joint aches, plus a blistery rash across the body. It is highly contagious, spreading rapidly amongst kids under five.
Alarmingly, the blisters could swell rapidly to the size of a tomato, hence the characteristic name.
Tomato flu: a severe form of a common virus.
Eventually, the virus was identified after a couple of kids returned to London after holidaying in India, both struggling with the frightening disease. Eventually, the virus was identified: a new strain of Coxsackievirus A16. Tomato flu was simply an outbreak of a more severe form of “Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease”. I can’t tell you how relieved the mothers were over our WhatsApp chat group, but it only started a whole heap of other questions: do we need to fuss about Hand Foot and Mouth diseases?
Hand Foot and Mouth Disease explained.
HFMD is a ridiculously common infectious disease of early childhood, with many calling it a rite of passage for kids in childcare.
For the absolute majority, it’s an unexciting and mild illness. It’s caused by a handful of different retroviruses (usually Coxsackievirus A16) and is characterized by little red spots on the palms and feet, plus in the mouth. The nappy region can often be affected, but not usually anywhere else on the body.
When mild, the spots are small and red. As they develop, they have a small gray center and look like a little blister. When spots arise, kids are usually just a bit irritable and grizzly; rarely developing significant fevers or becoming acutely unwell.
Try not to worry about food.
The spots will sort themselves out north of five to seven days, in the long run, crusting over and stripping off - above all without leaving scars. A touch of paracetamol or ibuprofen assists with any crabbiness, in addition, it's vital to tenderly clean spots in the nappy and utilize bunches of nappy creams.
Try not to push if your children aren't eating a lot. Delicate cold food sources are generally best. Watch out for their liquid admission, ensuring there are bunches of standard wet nappies.
Seldom, the contamination can spread to include their insides, heart muscle, or cause far-reaching toughness responses of the feet and hands - which is in all probability the sort of show seen across southern India. Watch out for any crumbling, particularly kids turning out to be exceptionally tired, floppy, or dried out. If these happen, an excursion to the crisis will be required.
Kids rarely get it again.
Thankfully, once your kids have had it once, they rarely get it again. But it does happen, so you’ll need to be on the lookout. Adults are rarely infected - because we went through it as kids! However, pregnant women and the elderly can be susceptible, so best to keep kids away until their spots heal over.
Lastly, the most common question I get from parents is: “When can they go back to daycare?” This is a frustrating one because by the time spots appear on your little one, the infection has been brewing for days - which means every other kid at daycare has already been exposed or infected! But some won’t, and being such a contagious infection, it’s important to keep kids away until the little spots start peeling off.
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