Those who intend to kiss a lot during the spree need to be careful. The famous carnival previews in the capital of Paraiba are coming and many people take the opportunity to flirt and kiss on the mouth. For singles, the occasion can be a chance to find great love. The problem is that a simple kiss can transmit a little known, but very common disease called kissing disease. Have you ever heard of it?
Infectious mononucleosis, as it is scientifically called, is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus – a classification of herpes – and can be asymptomatic or confused with other health problems, such as a sore throat.
Direct contact with saliva is one of the main forms of transmission, which is why it is called the “kissing disease”. Its symptoms include sore throat, cough, fever, loss of appetite, inflammation of the liver and swollen lymph nodes.
“The person is at the party with a sore throat and pain. So imagine that you have joint inflammation,” said doctor Fernando Chagas in an interview with Portal F5 Online. According to the infectologist, more than 90% of the adult population has antibodies against the agent that causes this infection that affects many people, especially between the months of December and February when the summer festivities begin, then the carnival previews and the Carnival .
Therefore, hygiene and common sense become essential to enjoy the festivities without having problems afterwards. Kissers need to be careful.
According to the infectious disease specialist and director of the Clementino Fraga Complex for Infectious Diseases, Fernando Chagas, if the person identifies a wound or a type of bleeding in the mouth, it is better not to kiss anyone or, at least, avoid kissing many people.
“Most of the time, the person doesn’t even realize it’s the kissing disease. So he goes to the doctor and seeing his sore throat he might actually think it’s a bacterial infection and not mono. And start antibiotic treatment.
Treatment
According to Chagas, there is no specific treatment for mononucleosis. “We will monitor the person, using fever meds, pain meds, anti-inflammatories to help shrink the tonsils, because sometimes they grow a lot. If there are complications, the doctor will follow up,” said the specialist.
Recently, ‘kissing disease’ became one of the hottest topics on social media after singer Anitta said she was diagnosed. She the artist said she sought out a treatment known as ozone therapy.
According to Chagas, the technique is not used in Brazil because there is no kinetic evidence to indicate its effectiveness.
“There is no specific drug for mononucleosis, but the treatment is effective and tries to combat the symptoms with analgesics, anti-inflammatories and lots of rest.
