Aug 25, 2022 04:16 PM
Reporting new viruses in a post-COVID world
https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/tomato...-all-hype/
INTRO: A virus in India is providing insight into the messy science of uncovering emerging diseases as they happen – particularly in a hypervigilant post-COVID world.
The disease of the moment is called ‘tomato flu.’ It’s a virus observed in the south western state of Kerala in India. It causes fevers, rashes, and intense pain in the joints of children it infects. The rash is raised and red, with some pustules getting as large as a cherry tomato – hence the name.
A paper published in The Lancet last week broke the news of this tomato flu, providing the first scientific evidence of the virus in Kerala, reporting 82 children under five with the disease.
“These blisters sort of resemble monkey pox, and sort of resembles hand foot and mouth – it’s a bit of a mixture,” says Australia’s Victoria University immunologist Professor Vasso Apostolopoulos, who was one of the researchers on The Lancet paper.
“What’s fortunate is it’s hitting kids under the age of about eight … but the kids get over it quite effectively. After about 7-10 days they’re back to normal.”
The researchers have also suggested it could be an after-effect of vector borne diseases like chikungunya or dengue fever, which are common to the region.
All of this is speculation.
Apostolopoulos worries about what could happen if it gets into an older or immune compromised population, however, as of yet, that hasn’t occurred.
With the world on high alert post-COVID-19, there’s increased worry about any new virus becoming the next pandemic. From 35 cases of Langya virus in China last month to tomato flu in India this month, these traditionally uncovered stories have the research community, media and lay public on the edge of their seats... (MORE - details)
https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/tomato...-all-hype/
INTRO: A virus in India is providing insight into the messy science of uncovering emerging diseases as they happen – particularly in a hypervigilant post-COVID world.
The disease of the moment is called ‘tomato flu.’ It’s a virus observed in the south western state of Kerala in India. It causes fevers, rashes, and intense pain in the joints of children it infects. The rash is raised and red, with some pustules getting as large as a cherry tomato – hence the name.
A paper published in The Lancet last week broke the news of this tomato flu, providing the first scientific evidence of the virus in Kerala, reporting 82 children under five with the disease.
“These blisters sort of resemble monkey pox, and sort of resembles hand foot and mouth – it’s a bit of a mixture,” says Australia’s Victoria University immunologist Professor Vasso Apostolopoulos, who was one of the researchers on The Lancet paper.
“What’s fortunate is it’s hitting kids under the age of about eight … but the kids get over it quite effectively. After about 7-10 days they’re back to normal.”
The researchers have also suggested it could be an after-effect of vector borne diseases like chikungunya or dengue fever, which are common to the region.
All of this is speculation.
Apostolopoulos worries about what could happen if it gets into an older or immune compromised population, however, as of yet, that hasn’t occurred.
With the world on high alert post-COVID-19, there’s increased worry about any new virus becoming the next pandemic. From 35 cases of Langya virus in China last month to tomato flu in India this month, these traditionally uncovered stories have the research community, media and lay public on the edge of their seats... (MORE - details)