A view of the city skyline seen from the Police Headquarters at ITO during the first day of national lockdown imposed by PM Narendra Modi to curb the spread of coronavirus on March 25, 2020 in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times vi NEW DELHI, India - Researchers in India say they are monitoring an outbreak of the tomato flu, or tomato fever, in the country — calling it a new virus as the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Their findings were recently published in the medical journal "The Lancet," saying cases have been detected in the state of Kerala in children younger than 5 years old.
They said so far, the rare viral infection is considered non-life threatening but they want to prevent further outbreaks. According to the journal, the tomato flu virus has symptoms similar to COVID-19 such as fever, fatigue, and body aches.
Symptoms can also include large, red blisters that can become the size of a tomato—hence the name. RELATED: NY bans sale of cans of whipped cream to those under 21 years oldResearchers believe the virus is "self-limiting" with no specific drug existing to treat it.