BHUBANESWAR: The Centre has asked the State government to put in place proper containment measures to prevent hand and mouth disease, also called Tomato flu by some sections. Odisha is among four states with 26 identified cases of the disease so far. In an advisory, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has urged the State to properly educate the healthcare personnel in identifying the symptoms and diagnosing the disease at the earliest.
The disease, a variant of hand, foot and mouth (HFMD), occurs mainly in children under 10 years of age, but can affect adults too, the advisory stated. The Ministry said children and their parents must be educated about the signs and symptoms, and side effects of hand and mouth disease.