8 Diseases You Can Get From Kissing Revealed

Just as we all love Kissing, there is still the need to be more careful these days because certain diseases can be contracted through it.

You will agree with me that in any love relationship, kissing cannot be ignored because it releases good hormones and can reduce your stress levels.

Several diseases have been spotted and can be infected through kissing. As a matter of fact, the diseases that can be contracted through kissing are listed below.

This article is not in any way to scare you but to alert you on the kind of diseases you need to be careful of.

According to HealthGrove, it used data from the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control to find eight diseases that are transmitted through saliva.

Keep reading to find out the diseases you can get through kissing.

1. Mononucleosis

Popularly called “the kissing disease” and it is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which thrives in fluids such as saliva and maybe spread easily from an infected person’s saliva when kissing. It typically affects young adults and is highly contagious.

Infection and related symptoms last from one to two months. Symptoms are very similar to those of the flu and include a fever, sore throat, fatigue, muscle weakness, and swollen lymph glands.

Symptoms are usually self-limiting and get better with time.

There is no treatment for mononucleosis but staying hydrated, resting, and taking medication often helps.

2.  Cytomegalovirus

This disease spreads through saliva, as well as through blood, urine, semen, and Bosom milk.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a virus in the herpes family. and like all herpes viruses, it remains dormant in the body for long periods.

Symptoms can include fatigue, fever, muscle aches, and, in more serious cases, pneumonia, encephalitis, seizures, and visual impairment.

3.  Gum Disease

Gum disease is also known as periodontitis and gingivitis and although it is not spread through kissing, the bad bacteria that cause it can.

To avoid gum disease, regular brushing and flossing can serve as a defense.

4.  Herpes

Herpes Simplex Virus 1 is the virus responsible for the unsightly blistering on the lips and around the mouth when one has an active oral herpes infection.

These lesions are commonly called cold sores or fever blisters, and not everyone understands that cold sores and fever blisters are synonymous with oral herpes.

Once oral herpes is contracted, it stays with you forever. Oral herpes is transmitted through direct contact between an infected area and broken skin or a mucous membrane.

Many people who are infected with oral herpes aren’t even aware that they have the infection, and may unknowingly pass it on to a partner while kissing.

During an outbreak, symptoms usually last between 8-10 days on average and the cold sores heal on their own.

If you want to prevent the spread of infection, you should abstain from kissing, or other sexual contacts, if you or your partner have visible sores.

5.  Meningitis

Meningitis is a serious disease that causes inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord.

This disease can be spread from one person to another via respiratory secretions.

A means by which the illness can be passed along to someone else is via the exchange of saliva while kissing. In 2017, there were over 1000 deaths in Nigeria during the meningitis outbreak.

Symptoms include fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea, sensitivity to light, and vomiting.

This disease has no medication but staying healthy with a strong immune system helps to get the better of it.

6.  Mumps

Mumps affects the salivary glands and causes them to swell. It usually spreads via airborne droplets from the nose or throat of an infected person.

Symptoms typically include fever, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, and loss of appetite.

7.  Rubella

Referred to as the German measles, rubella is caused by a virus transmitted through an infected person’s sneeze or cough.

Symptoms include fever and rash and clear up in two to three days. The rubella vaccine can prevent this disease.

8. Influenza

Influenza is spread via droplets made when people with the flu cough, sneeze or talk.

Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, and fatigue.

Most people recover on their own in less than two weeks.