Even its nickname sounds menacing: the kissing disease. Upon hearing the name of infectious mononucleosis, commonly known as mono, students envision feeling weak all the time, sleeping a lot and missing a lot of school and work. Clearly, the kissing disease doesn't arouse happy thoughts in many people.
Mono is a disease caused by the Epstein-Barr virus and, less commonly, cytomegalovirus. As members of the herpes virus family, they are relatives of the viruses that cause chickenpox and genital herpes. Many misconceptions regarding the disease exist.
"I don't know if it's an airborne disease," freshman Matthew Mosley said.
It isn't. A person contracts EBV when he or she comes into contact with the saliva or mucous of an infected person, especially through sharing food and drinks or, as the nickname suggests, kissing. The virus can also be transmitted when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
Joni Bigger, a nurse at the Health Center, said many people thought they had mono, even when they didn't.
"A lot of kids come in thinking that because they're tired, they automatically have mono," Bigger said. She said students who really did have mono were often surprised to find out.
Senior Jacob Clere got mono his freshman year. After he returned from an anthropology field trip to the Southwest, he felt fatigued and had swollen glands. His doctor told him he probably had a piece of sand stuck in his throat but gave him a blood test. He thinks he got it from his former girlfriend, who had it earlier, but wasn't aware of it at the time.
When a person contracts EBV, it lies dormant for four to six weeks before symptoms appear. Many people who have the virus never experience the symptoms of mono. According to the Centers for Disease Control, teenagers and young adults with EBV develop mono 35 to 50 percent of the time.
The prospect of getting mono worries some people. Clere said he felt worried because a friend in high school who had it had symptoms for a year. Clere's case, however, only lasted two weeks. Sophomore Sarah Roberts said her sister, who studies at Indiana University in Bloomington, missed almost two weeks of classes.
"I would be displeased," sophomore Megan Childress said, describing how she would feel if she got mono. "It wouldn't really frighten me, but it would be quite a hassle."
Bigger said mono can be especially problematic for athletes. In many cases, it causes enlargement of the spleen. According to cdc.gov, it causes the spleen to enlarge up to three times its normal size in around 50 percent of cases. A blow to the abdomen, a risk in many contact sports, can cause an enlarged spleen to rupture.
"We have some athletes who can't play sports because they have mono," she said. "That can be upsetting."
Roberts, who has not had mono, said she would feel anger and stress if she discovered she had it because it would prevent her from being able to work or take part in extracurricular activities.
"I'd be a little scared of contracting it myself," Mosley said. "I know I'd want a cure really quick."
However, no cure or vaccine for EBV exists. In fact, it's almost impossible to avoid contracting it. The CDC estimates that as many as 95 percent of adults between the ages of 35 and 40 have contracted mono.
While major symptoms of mono usually end within a month or two. Like other herpes viruses, however, EBV remains in the infected person's body for life. Relapses are rare, but reactivation, whereby the person can transmit the virus while not exhibiting symptoms, can occur. This is the most common means by which EBV infection occurs, according to the CDC.
While the Health Center does not keep track of mono diagnoses, Bigger said it had more cases lately.
"You're going to see more people with mono in a college setting," she said.
While no cure for mono exists, the Centers for Disease Control recommends getting plenty of rest, using throat lozenges to relieve the sore throat and ibuprofen or acetaminophen to relieve pain and fever.
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