Infectious Mononucleosis: What Increases Your Risk
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What Increases Your Risk
Mono is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). You are at increased risk of developing mono if you:
- Are between the ages of 15 and 24, especially if you are in close contact with many people. In the United States, college students, nurses, and people in the military are most likely to get mono.
- Have intimate contact with a person who has mono or an active EBV infection. (A brief kiss on the lips is not likely to spread EBV; it is spread when saliva from an infected person enters another person's mouth.)
- Share drinking glasses, eating utensils, dishes, or a toothbrush with an infected person. A person does not have to have symptoms of mono to spread EBV.
Once you have been infected with EBV, the virus may stay in your body for the rest of your life, but you will not get mono again.
EBV is not spread through the air. You can live in the same house with a person who has mono and never become infected with the virus.
| Last updated: | May 26, 2006 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Ralph Poore |
| Reviewed By: | Michael J. Sexton, MD - Pediatrics, W. David Colby, MSc, MD, FRCPC - Infectious Disease |
| Editors: | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Terrina Vail |
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