More About Mono

Most teenagers are familiar with mono. Since this disease is most prevalent for people between the ages of 5 and 25, and 1-3% of college students contract mono each year, they are highly familiar with it. Mono is highly contagious and is spread through exposure to body fluids containing the virus. For this reason, it's often referred to as the "kissing disease."

Some History

Mono was first described in 1920 in the Bulletin of the Johns Hopkins Hospital by Sprunt and Evans. In their article, they described the clinical characteristics of Epstein-Barr virus infectious mononucleosis. As early as the 1800s, infectious mononucleosis has been understood to be a clinical syndrome that consists of fever, pharyngitis, and adenopathy. The association between mono and EBV was first described during the late 1960s.

More About Mono

Infectious mononucleosis is a viral infection. It is commonly caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Mono can last for a very long time, from a few weeks to months. Unfortunately there is nothing that can be done to treat the virus itself; instead, doctors can only help to relieve the effect of the symptoms.

What Are the Signs?

Signs of mono include fever, sore throat, headaches, white patches on the back of the throat, swollen glands, an extreme feeling of tiredness and a loss of appetite. Someone with mono will exhibit many of these symptoms. When discussing these symptoms with your doctor, he will, undoubtedly, come to the conclusion that you are experiencing mono. This assumption will then be confirmed through blood tests. There is one common test called the Monospot test that is frequently used.

How Is It Passed?

The mono virus is found both in saliva and in mucus. This means that it can be passed from an infected person to other people through kissing, sharing food or drink, or through sexual contact. It is rarely passed through coughing or through other ways. After exposure, it usually takes 4-6 weeks for the signs of mono to develop. The good news is that people generally only get mono once!

Is There a Cure?

There is no way to cure mono. Rather, doctors will treat the symptoms. You'll be told to spend plenty of time in bed and to drink a lot of fluids. Eventually, mono will pass on its own.