Parents should be careful that their children may get "kissing disease" after being kissed

Recently, my baby suddenly developed a high fever and the fever wouldn’t go down. After taking him to the hospital for a check-up, the doctor said that it was the mother’s kiss that caused the baby to suffer from the “kissing disease.” "Kissing disease"? When facing a white and tender baby, many parents or relatives and friends can't help but give the baby a kiss, but this small act of expressing enthusiasm can actually make the baby sick? This makes many parents very worried. What is kissing disease? Is kissing disease serious for babies?

The real name of the "kissing disease" is infectious mononucleosis

"Kissing disease" is a very common disease with symptoms similar to those of a cold - fever, loss of appetite, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, etc. Its full medical name is "infectious mononucleosis." In addition to kissing, the most common way of transmission of the disease is through close conversations between people, sharing of food and transmission of saliva through the air.

The reason why it is so common in infants is that the immune system of newborn babies is not fully developed and their immunity is relatively low.

"Kissing disease" is often misdiagnosed as a cold

Experts said that "infectious mononucleosis" is caused by Epstein-Barr virus infection and is commonly known as the "kissing disease" because the disease is transmitted through close contact with oropharyngeal secretions, such as kissing.

This disease is well treated but is often misdiagnosed. He explained that this is because, after contracting the disease, patients have main symptoms such as fever, pharyngitis, swollen lymph nodes, hepatosplenomegaly, and skin and mucous membrane rashes. Fever and pharyngitis can easily make people think they have a cold, while pharyngitis and skin and mucous membrane rashes are difficult for even doctors to distinguish between, and they can easily be mistaken for diseases such as herpes stomatitis, herpetic pharyngitis, and cytomegalovirus infection.

In fact, there are some symptoms to help distinguish. Weng Zhiqiang said that patients with kissing disease will have small red spots in clusters of bleeding on the palatal mucosa and buccal mucosa of the mouth, and may also develop on the gums. Subsequently, small red papules or bull's-eye papule lesions may appear on the skin of the body. "Clinically, a considerable number of patients are diagnosed with the disease because of fever and oral mucosal rashes that attract the attention of doctors."

The symptoms of kissing disease are very similar to those of colds, especially fever and pharyngitis are common symptoms of both, but kissing disease has its own special symptoms, such as swollen lymph nodes at the back of the head and enlarged liver and spleen (the swelling can be felt in the relevant parts of the health questions and answers).

If you have the above symptoms, don't simply think you have a cold, but get checked to see if it's the "kissing disease."

If you are not feeling well, don't play "Kiss"

Judging from the name, this is a very adult disease. From an epidemiological point of view, it mostly occurs in children and adolescents, but can also occur in adults. Weng Zhiqiang introduced that the EB virus exists in large quantities in the salivary glands and saliva, and can excrete toxins continuously or intermittently for weeks, months or even years. The disease is most likely to be contracted through direct contact with the saliva of an infected person. So, does a passionate kiss from parents to their children, or a kiss between lovers, become unsafe? Actually, there is no need to worry too much, but basic hygiene still needs to be maintained.

It is hard to prevent the kissing disease. Most adults have been infected with it at some point in their lives and carry the virus in their bodies, making them able to transmit it to others. But there's no need to resist kissing from now on. However, no matter what disease you have, when you have symptoms such as fever, infection, sore throat, inflammation, etc., it is better to keep your mouth sealed when your oral hygiene is poor. Do not kiss or share the same food with others to avoid spreading the disease. Using public chopsticks when eating is also a good way to prevent the spread of the virus. Weng Zhiqiang believes that from the perspective of preventive medicine, he does not support various endurance kissing competitions in society.

Even if you are infected with the disease, there is no need to worry. The kissing disease can be recovered and healed easily through antiviral and symptomatic treatment. Generally, you can recover in a few weeks, and once an acute attack occurs, it will not recur.