Assam More than 100 cases of hand-foot-and-mouth disease, also known as tomato flu, have been reported in the past one month, raising alarm bells for the state health department. An official gave this information on Monday. The maximum number of cases were reported from two schools in Dibrugarh district. A senior official of the state health department said that each of the 24 and 22 cases in the two schools were confirmed by doctors on the basis of symptoms. The Health Department has already issued an advisory to the district authority to keep the infected children in isolation for seven days.
The district health officials have been asked by the state administration to inspect child OPDs in district hospitals for early detection of tomato flu cases. Although the disease of tomato flu is not considered life-threatening, health experts have warned that further spread of the disease could hit school once again in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Hemen Das, an epidemiologist with the National Health Mission, said that it is important to maintain basic hygiene to prevent the outbreak of tomato flu. He said, if an infected child is kept in isolation for a week, then there is every possibility that he will recover on his own.