The Health Risks of Kissing
Infectious mononucleosis — or “mono,” as it is commonly called — can be spread through saliva. It’s called the kissing disease, and its symptoms are very unattractive. The Mayo Clinic says mono can cause fatigue, sore throat, fever, swollen lymph nodes and tonsils and even a swollen spleen. Most adults have built up a resistance to the Epstein-Barr virus, which causes mono. But kids and teens are more at risk.
Reviewed by:
Review Date:
January 30, 2015Citation:
CDC, “Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection (RSV)” Better Health Channel, “Kissing and your health” Food Allergy Research & Education, “Food Allergy Facts and Statistics for the U.S.” CDC, “Smoking and Other Health Risks” Microbiome, "Shaping the oral microbiota through intimate kissing" UCSF Center for Health and Community, "Dentist Warns Tooth Decay is Contagious Disease" Mayo Clinic, "Mononucleosis Definition" Food Allergy Research & Education, "Resources For College Students" Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Food Allergies in Schools" Mayo Clinic, "Cold sore Definition" Harvard Medical School, "Simple steps for avoiding infections from dogs and cats" TVNZ, "Smokers' kisses can be fatal - Health News" Mayo Clinic, "Diphtheria Definition" Google Books, "The Medical Standard, Volume 18" Stanford University, "What is Sexual Assault? | Student Affairs" Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, "Statistics" Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Human papillomavirus (HPV) and Oropharyngeal Cancer - Fact Sheet" Image Courtesy of Monkey Business Images | Dreamstime Image Courtesy of Photodeti | Dreamstime Image Courtesy of Get4net | Dreamstime Image Courtesy of Scott Griessel | Dreamstime Image Courtesy of Skypixel | Dreamstime Image Courtesy of Loganban | Dreamstime Image Courtesy of Jennifer Walz | Dreamstime Image Courtesy of Mike_kiev | Dreamstime Image Courtesy of Alexey Poprotskiy | Dreamstime
Last Updated:
January 30, 2015