Tongue-twisting diseases on the anvil that is creating panic in the general population as well as among doctors.

Tomato fever is the latest buzz word in many parts of the country where there is mosquito menace.

Hundreds of cases of people suffering from it have been reported in the last few months from various parts of the coastal states.

Though the term does not exist in the medical dictionary, many wishfully contemplate it as a new category of viral infection that is characterized by a combination of fever, joint pain and skin rashes.

Others dismiss it as mere after affects of Chikungunya and nothing more. Some even claim it as a manifestation of Chicken Pox. So where lies as the truth?

In reality, there is no fever named as Tomato fever. Simply put, it is a combination of Chikungunya fever and rashes on the skin almost the size of tomatoes. The fever is locally called "tomato fever" probably due to red rashes and boils upon its manifestation. Some people show symptoms of tomato like boils with itching in their body and even worms coming out of their wounds.

As many doctors witness the clinical manifestation of Chikungunya for the first time, there is often confusion in diagnosis.

However most agree, rashes can be one of the symptoms for Chikungunya, a virus which spreads through mosquitobite that cause a non fatal illness with high fever, vomiting, headache, severe joint pains and nausea.

According to Dr. Tarun Sahni, Sr Consultant Physician, Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, "These rashes are 'maculopapular' meaning can be raised or flat with pigmentation change. The rashes are generally common in viral infestations, deficiency of platelates is there. Chikungunya is usually characterized by multiple muscle pain and joint pain but the rashes are not found in all the cases may be 60%-70% cases".

Tomato has nothing to do with Tomato fever, the disease, Chikungunya, has nothing to do with chickens but related to mosquitoes and is not contagious but the cycle of occurrence is fatal. Once someone gets infected, everyone around is at risk since mosquitoes do not stop at one person. It occurs principally during the rainy season and transmitted to humans by the bite of the Aedes Aegypti, mosquitoes which also cause dengue. The epidemic propagates by human mosquito--human transmission.The virus has a gestation cycle of seven days so water stored over seven days serves as it is an ideal breeding ground.

There is no specific treatment for Chikungunya. The illness resolves with time. Paracetamol tablets such as Crocin is usually prescribed to ease the pain and associated fever as there is no vaccine available till date. Plenty of fluid intake and bed rest is essential. It can take weeks and sometimes months for patients to completely get rid of the disease.

What is Tomato fever?

**A combination of Chikungunya fever and red rashes on the skin almost the size of tomatoes**

Symptoms

*Tomato like boils*

*Body itiching*

*Joint pains*

*Fever*

Treatment

*No vaccines available yet*

*Safe Painkillers like Paracetamol e.g. Crocin can ease pain and fever*

*Plenty of fluid and bed rest is necessary*

Isha Majumder

BA (Journo, Psy & Eng