Is Mononucleosis Contagious Or Not?
Mononucleosis fulfills the same criteria as many other viral diseases. Is Mononucleosis Contagious? Can the spread be prevented? The best prevention is to avoid contact with an infected person’s saliva.
Is Mononucleosis Contagious? This viral infection is also commonly known as “kiss sickness”. This name refers to the way in which the disease can be transmitted from one person to another.
This has led many people to mistakenly believe that the virus is only transmitted through kissing. However, this is not entirely true. As with many such diseases , the virus is found in saliva. It can therefore be transmitted through sneezing, coughing or through contact with objects with saliva residues.
What is mononucleosis?
Mononucleosis is a viral disease that is relatively widespread in the population. In addition, in most cases it will subside on its own. In addition, complications are very rare and the disease does not cause permanent damage.
Mononucleosis can occur at any age and at any time of the year. However, it is particularly common in teenagers and young adults. Obviously, in the course of life, we develop immunity to this pathogen.
As we mentioned earlier, mononucleosis is also known as the kissing disease, although that name is actually not entirely accurate. Is Mononucleosis Contagious? Yes. But not to the same extent as other viral diseases. Therefore, due to the low transferability, a mononucleosis pandemic, for example, is absolutely unimaginable.
The best prevention of the spread of this infection is to avoid contact with the saliva of an infected person. This is because the person’s saliva contains active pathogens. This recommendation is particularly important for pregnant women, people with a weakened immune system and those who have had a transplant.
Is Mononucleosis Contagious? Yes
In most cases, the disease is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. Once infected with it, the viral particles remain in the body for the rest of life. However, this disease is only infectious at very specific times.
The disease has an incubation period of four to six weeks. After this phase, symptoms appear that last for about a month. In addition, the disease spreads relatively easily during this period. Therefore, it is best that patients remain isolated.
However, there are cases in both adults and children in which no symptoms occur after the incubation period has expired. Some people may feel a little exhausted and tired, but that’s about it. In this case, people are likely to attribute their fatigue to exercise, stress, lack of sleep, and so on.
However, asymptomatic patients are also active carriers of the virus without even noticing it. We are talking about the situations that go completely unnoticed because they are not recorded by a doctor. Since the patients have no symptoms, they do not think of a disease and therefore do not consult a doctor.
In addition, experts are still unsure how long it will take before the disease is no longer infectious. The most common belief is that patients can spread viruses for up to 12 months after symptoms have been overcome. In addition, the experts say that after 18 months this risk definitely no longer exists.
The symptoms
The typical symptoms are fever, exhaustion and tiredness. These are usually the first symptoms to appear and the last to go away. In addition, patients often suffer from sore throats, swollen tonsils, swollen lymph nodes, spleen swelling, and headaches.
As we mentioned earlier, complications are rare. However, when these do occur, they are often more severe and require medical attention. Possible complications include:
- Enlarged spleen: In extreme cases, it can even tear the spleen.
- Liver disease: the most common are jaundice and hepatitis.
- Neurological disorders and diseases: Meningitis or Guillain-Barré syndrome and Epstein-Barr encephalitis are some of the possibilities.
What can you do if you have mononucleosis?
So far, there is no treatment that can be cured with mononucleosis. The traditional recommendation is: plenty of rest and adequate hydration. This is very important, especially during the acute phase of the disease. Patients can also take anti-inflammatory drugs and pain relievers if instructed by the attending physician.
It is also important to avoid physical exertion and contact sports during the entire duration of the illness. Because one of the risks associated with overexertion and possible blows is that it could lead to a ruptured spleen. At the same time, it is important to avoid physical contact with others to prevent the virus from spreading.
Given that mononucleosis is contagious, those infected should not share personal items, food, or drinks with other people. The phase in which a patient has to be careful is very long. But only by strictly observing all these measures can the transmission of the disease to other people be prevented.
