How is the Epstein-Barr

Mononucleosis most often affects children of school age and young adults. To 50 years, as a rule, almost everyone can be found in the blood of antibodies to the virus Epstein-Barr, even those who can't remember that he was sick. The reason is that the disease can occur almost asymptomatic or have symptoms so weak that they blamed on the common cold. Once once in the blood, the virus prompts the body to develop antibodies that provide patient lifelong immunity against the pathogen.

Mononucleosis is also called "kissing disease" that accurately reflects the mode of transmission for Epstein-Barr, that is oral. Much less frequently the virus is transmitted during sexual intercourse, but this is doctors also known. Getting into your mouth while kissing, viruses occupy the mucous membrane of the throat, causing swelling and inflammation. This explains the symptoms of the disease: a slight rise of temperature, the sniffles, perhaps a cough, swollen lymph nodes in the neck. If the infection occurred through sexual intercourse, the virus penetrates the epithelial layer lining the vagina, and sometimes the cervix. In this case, the disease may generally be overlooked, because a slight pull in the abdomen, few people pay attention, blaming it on the symptoms of a monthly cycle.

But the virus does not have to sit in one place. Once in the body, it begins to spread it through the blood and lymph vessels, reaches such important organs as the liver and spleen, causing a substantial increase.

The period between infection and appearance of first symptoms of the disease lasts about 10 days, but can last up to 3 weeks. The older a person is, the greater will be the incubation period. For example, if a person first encountered the virus of Epstein-Barr after 40 years, the disease can manifest itself only after 50 days after infection.

You can say that you can protect yourself from mononucleosis is almost impossible, but you can significantly reduce your chances of Contracting the virus. This is especially true for people with weakened immune systems. They should avoid contact with people with symptoms similar to those caused by virus Epstein-Barr. Simply put, you should not kiss a man if he does not look very healthy, and even more to enter with it sexual relations. And if there is a significant increase of lymph nodes, vigilance should be doubled.