Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
Mono a significant disease for young people
Many Americans, 95%, are infected by Epstein-Barr, the herpes virus that causes infectious mononucleosis, by their late 30's, according to a story in The New York Times. Of these, teens and young adults (35-50%) are the most susceptible to developing severe fatigue and other symptoms, said the article.
Transmission impossible to prevent
The virus is transmitted through intimate contact with the saliva in the mouth of an infected person, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The incubation period ranges from 4-6 weeks, but no special precautions are usually suggested because many healthy people carry and spread the virus throughout their lives and the transmission is almost impossible to prevent.
One researcher, Dr. Joseph Pagano, at the University of Wyoming, said mono is a significant disease in the US, but the medical community doesn't give it much important because people recover from it, according to the Times. Because of the lack of attention, there is no vaccine or antiviral drug to ward it off or treat the disease.
The symptoms for mono can include:
- Severe fatigue
- Fever
- Sore throat
- Swollen glands
- Enlarged spleen
Sometimes the symptoms can last for months, which can cause young students to miss time in school or get behind in their studies.
Vaccine?
Another researcher, Dr. Hank Balfour at the University of Minnesota, agrees there is a need for more research for the treatment of Epstein-Barr, said the article. He is working on an antiviral drug called Valomaciclovir that he hopes will help patients recover faster.
The mono virus is difficult to treat, and viruses are hard to work with in the lab, said Dr. Balfour, according to the article. Dr. Balfour said that 40 years ago he helped work on a vaccine for the chicken pox, which is also caused by a herpes virus, and now chicken pox is controllable, so someday mono may also.
The CDC said that mono symptoms usually last up to four months, and if they last more than six months it is called chronic Epstein-Barr infection or could possibly be chronic fatigue syndrome.
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