Centre issues advisory on ‘Tomato Flu’ to states

The Union Health Ministry has issued an advisory on ‘Tomato Flu’, also known as Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD), to the states after more than 100 cases were reported from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Haryana.Tomato Flu was first detected in Kollam district in Kerala on May 6, and as of July 26, over 80 children less than five years of age were infected by the disease, as per reports from local government hospitals.This viral illness triggered an alert in the neighboring states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Additionally, 26 children (aged 1-9 years) have been reported as having the disease in Odisha by the Regional Medical Research Centre in Bhubaneswar. However, apart from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Haryana and Odisha, no other state has reported Tomato Flu cases so far.