Health officials in India have issued a warning as more children test positive for a mysterious illness called “tomato flu.” The infection causes painful red blisters over the body and more than 82 children under the age of five across the country have been affected since the first case was noted on May 6, in Kerala. Some of the children had blisters that grew to the size of a tomato, giving the virus its name.

According to The U.S. Sun, the Indian Health Ministry says that tomato flu is not life-threatening and has issued testing and prevention guidelines to all states.

“Tell your child not to hug or touch children having rash or fever symptoms,” states the guidance. “You should encourage your child to stop thumb or finger sucking habits.”

A recent study published in The Lancet said that the best solution for preventing transmission is hand hygiene and stopping children from sharing food, clothes, and toys.

But delving deeper into the illness, scientists have now linked tomato flu to a known virus. According to The Conversation, two children in the U.K. who developed suspected tomato flu symptoms after returning from a family holiday in Kerala were swabbed. The lab results revealed they were infected with an enterovirus named coxsackie A16.

Coxsackie A16 causes hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD), which results in blisters primarily on an infected person’s palms, soles of the feet and in the mouth. So, it seems that tomato flu is not a mystery or a new virus, but a variant of the already endemic HFMD, doctors report.

“One of the predominant symptoms of the disease is the presence of tomato-like welts all over the body, particularly the hands, feet, and oral cavity,” wrote the authors of the report published in The BMJ. “These are accompanied by symptoms very similar to COVID-19, such as fever, fatigue, and body aches.”

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) calls HFMD a “common childhood illness most often seen in the summer and fall.” It has no relationship to the foot and mouth disease that affect animals. Besides the red rashes, children often have fever for the first few days of illness, and some patients experience loose stools. The skin rash may be a nuisance, but the mouth sores can be so painful that children refuse to eat.

Here are some tips to treat the disease:

• Treat mouth pain so that the afflicted child drinks well and avoids dehydration. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) are effective pain medicines.

• For toddlers and older kids, offer soft foods such as yogurt, pasta, pudding, or smoothies as well as ice pops to provide sustenance and relieve pain.

• Offer your child a variety of fluids. Water alone does not provide energy for the body, nor does it provide the salt needed to maintain blood pressure.

The coxsackie virus that causes hand, foot and mouth disease is mainly spread through saliva and stool, says CHOP. This is why it often affects toddlers since they share toys and then put their hands in their mouths. But is can also affect older children and adults, so hand hygiene is important while caring for your child or changing diapers.

Most children fare well with this virus but call your pediatrician if you need help diagnosing the illness or your child isn’t drinking enough and showing signs of dehydration or decreased urination. Also, if the fever lasts more than three days, there is a lot of pain, or the child shows a change in mental state, such as lethargy, seek medical help.