Mono, or the Epstein-Barr virus, is sometimes thought of as the MS virus to people. There is no actual Multiple Sclerosis virus, per say, yet researchers have found that quite a large percentage of MS patients had mono at some point in their life. It has yet to be proven that the Epstein-Barr virus actually causes MS, but it is thought to play a role in raising the risk of being diagnosed with MS.
Mono is known as the ‘kissing disease’, since it is often transferred from one person to another via saliva. It’s difficult to know exactly when it was contracted, due to the lengthy incubation period; an average of 25 days. Symptoms commonly shown include; sore throat, fever, and swollen lymph nodes in the neck. Most people feel extremely tired while they are infected and sometimes up to quite a few months after the symptoms have subsided. The bulk of the discomfort is felt for around 10 days, give or take a few days depending on the person.
Doctors check for mono through a blood test. Unfortunately, there isn’t a quick cure for the Epstein-Barr virus. Antibiotics don’t speed the healing process and most pain is eased with non-aspirin drugs, either over-the-counter or prescribed. Complications can arise from this virus, since it has been known to cause an inflamed spleen, liver, or both. If either of these are inflamed, upper abdominal pain will be present.
The findings aren’t saying that everyone infected with the Epstein-Barr virus will ultimately develop MS. Researchers have only performed studies where the results showed people who were diagnosed with MS also had the antibodies for mono. The other factor that might have something to do with the correlation is a vitamin D deficiency, but this is still being looked into.
How to Get MS Virus Protection
It’s hard to protect yourself against every virus, bacteria, and disease that is present, but there are precautions you can take to make your surroundings a bit safer. Don’t share drinks, chapstick, or toothbrushes. Wash your hands after touching items in a public place, in case you touch your mouth or something that will go into your mouth such as a piece of fruit.
People will sneeze into their hand, instead of into the nook of their arm near the elbow and then touch items. This then transfers the mono-infected saliva from the mouth and onto an item that has the potential to pass the virus onto others. Practicing good hygiene will reduce the risk of you picking up this possible MS virus. Researchers are still completing studies on this Multiple Sclerosis virus and trying to pin down the exact connection between mono and MS.
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