How important is it not to spread mono, and what precautions should one take?

Factual Questions
1

Long story short: doc and I have strong suspicions that I have mono, and I’m going in for blood work tomorrow. All this is assuming that I actually do have the dread disease…

The reading I’ve done about mono states that you can infect others for quite a long period of time (years, even!) after you’ve contracted the virus, and indeed, many people have the virus in their bodies but are not aware of it, and so go around blithely infecting half the population of Skokie, Illinois.

So, uh, how bad is this? What precautions should I be taking against infecting others (no sharing utensils or drinking glasses? no kissing?), and for how long? If I had HIV, I would obviously tell someone before we did the horizontal mambo (or even the mistletoe mariachi!); if it turns out that I do, in fact, have mono, it would be wildly unethical if I did not also inform a potential kissing partner, correct? Does it turn me into the equivalent of Typhoid Mary if I don’t?

I’m looking to do the ethical thing here, and I don’t really know what is the measure of enormity in infecting someone with the virus which causes mono, especially since I’ve read the oft-repeated assertion that something like ninety-five percent of the adult population carries it in their bodies anyway. I’m thinking the proper answer is something like, “Sure, go ahead and share drinking glasses with and/or kiss anyone you like, but make sure they’re fully informed about your medical condition beforehand and are freely assuming the risks involved, otherwise you’ll be unethically Typhoid-Marying it up. Would you want someone to infect you with a disease without your consent?”

And this might necessitate a forum change, but I’d be more than glad to hear any personal anecdotes from those who have had mono as to what, if anything, they did to prevent transmitting the disease to others.

2

I’ve never heard of mono. What is it?

3

IANAD, and perhaps someone who is will happen along soon. Also, of course, you will get advice from your real doctor when the test results are in. This is purely anecdotal.

My younger daughter had mono once. We had no idea where she got it from; she was a pre-teen at the time. The main problem with the disease as far as I know is that it takes so darn long to get over it. My daughter had a really, really bad sore throat, tested negative for strep, then positive for mono. Since it’s a virus, no penicillin or other antibiotic will do anything for it. The main advice our pediatrician had was that she had to get a LOT of rest, and must be sure to drink LOTS of liquids.

In fact, that latter point was the main one. Her throat was so sore, he pointed out, that she would be reluctant to swallow anything, but she was such a petite child that she could easily dehydrate if she spent too much time sleeping and didn’t get enough liquids. Do anything you have to do, he said, to keep her hydrated. Don’t worry about the nutritional content right now. Soda. Ice pops. Anything liquid.

She was old enough to understand the concept, and most assuredly did not want to have to be hospitalized with an IV (the blood test was bad enough that the very idea of a needle attached to her skinny little veins was a nightmare). So we had the bizarre scene of nagging her to drink her soda, or eat her ice pops. She was well in, I believe, a few weeks.

I don’t recall any special quarantine being imposed. Neither her father, nor I, nor her sister, were likely to be doing any French-kissing with her anyway. But we weren’t told to sterilize her dishes or glasses, or to use separate utensils (as was done when my niece had hepatitis). None of us contracted the disease, nor were there any reports of it among her friends.

I am under the impression that it is more common among high school and college aged young people who are likely to become run down and overtired and thus weaken their immune systems. My recollection is that, aside from the dangers of dehydration, there are not often any dire consequences like the heart valve damage that can result from untreated strep infections.

I hope you feel better soon.

4

Infectious Mononucleosis

In answer to part of the OP, from the above site:

5

When I had mono (infectious mononucleosis) I was just careful not to kiss anyone, and not let anyone share my spoons, cups, toothbrush…

And it’s not infectious years later, as far as I know. The virus stays dormant in some of your cells forever, yes, but it’s not like you can go around licking people 20 years after your infection subsides and spread disease through the community.

For more info, check out the CDC page about mono. The New York State Department of Health page is a little friendlier.

6

I don’t think it’s something you should worry about protecting others from, aside from not kissing people while you’re actually sick with it (and if you look as disgusting as I did when I had it, nobody’s going to consent to kissing you anyway). Everybody has their own set of germs, and kissing a new person in my (admittedly modest) experience very frequently results in a spell of something or other. Mono is one of the most severe, but it’s by no means the only thing that people carry around in their systems for years and years.

Quite a few people were exposed to mono as very small children, and have immunity. Most other people have gotten it/will get it by their mid-twenties. It’s pretty pervasive, and as you get older, you’ll be kissing fewer and fewer people who aren’t already immune.

FWIW, I remember reading, when I had it, that after you’ve recovered you shed the virus from your tonsils–or some other mushy bit in your throat–about once a month, so you aren’t contagious all of the time. I did not find this factoid on every source I read, though.

7

Thanks. I think mono is what I’ve always known as glandular fever.

8

Nuts. Hamsters ate my posts. Anyway, what I wrote was that I think mono is a bigger deal that the posters so far are making it out to be. While it’s easily manageable if you resolve to manage it, in my experience it’s also easy to assume the symptoms of mono are just a bad cold. And because of mono’s effects on the spleen, ignoring mononucleosis can, in rare cases, cause you to lose your spleen. I don’t think anyone wants a ruptured organ in their abdomen. Even more importantly, the spleen is very important during trauma, so if you lose your spleen there’s a much higher chance that you’ll die if you have a serious car accident or similarly bad day. Ergo, the OP should tell anyone she’s been kissing or sharing glasses with that they should be on the lookout. Just because it’s relatively easy to treat mono doesn’t mean it’s not a serious disease.

–Cliffy

9

The previous responses should also explain why, when I was in high school, mononucleosis was commonly known as the “kissing disease.”

10

Agreed. I’m one of those poor unfortunates who doesn’t make an immunity to mono. I’ve had it, full-blown and diagnosed by a doctor, **five **times now. (This was back before it was widely called Epstein-Barr syndrome). Each time it was worse, and the last time (ten years ago now), my spleen was so swollen that I was warned not to lift more than 10 pounds or mow the lawn all summer, lest the pressure on my abdomen rupture my spleen. If I get it again, I’m likely looking at hospitalization.

When I hear of mono in the area, I’m OCD-like in my handwashing, and will pour boiling water over all our silverware and dishes to help minimuze contagions.

11

Wow, that sucks. Fortunately for me, mono was mostly an excuse to get out of school and catch up on my soaps. (It’s also how I found out my girlfriend was cheating on me, so it wasn’t all puppies and flowers.)

–Cliffy