Singer revealed a recent diagnosis and raised questions about the matter. Experts explain symptoms and treatment
The singer’s diagnosis Annita how Carrier of the Epstein-Barr virus (called EBV) raised doubts on the matter. The most common, for example, concerns the way the virus is transmitted, as it causes the mononucleosisconstantly called “Kissing Sickness”🇧🇷 However, transmission doesn’t just happen like this.
Infectologist Adriano Silva explains that the virus is transmitted through the Saliva and therefore can be transmitted in the meeting of the mouths. On the other hand, since saliva droplets are transmitted in the air during speech, this is not the only possible means of transmission. “If you kiss on the cheek, for example, or hug, you respond … you can contract the virus,” he points out.
The expert also warns that the virus is much more common than one might think. According to the professional of the Aliança Medical Center Hospital, in Salvador, about 85% of the Brazilian population has this virus and lives with it without symptoms. The virus belongs to the herpes family, “cousin” of the one that causes cold sores, vaginal herpes or herpes zoster.
“What’s happening with Anitta is not unusual. Most adults have positive serology for the virus, usually acquired in childhood,” he explains.
The evolution to more serious diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, although it worries the funk artist, is rare. “Tell the singer Anitta not to worry. Also tell her that most people have it and don’t even have symptoms, let alone severe symptoms,” jokes infectious disease specialist Roberto Badaró, a retired professor at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) and professor at the University of San Diego, California.
How is the Epstein-Barr virus transmitted?
Badaró believes the association between the disease and kissing comes from the large number of patients who show symptoms in their early teens, “when they start dating.” However, he himself confirms that there is no official data.
This was the case of journalist Bruna Castelo Branco. At the age of 11, in 2004, she began to experience severe sore throat, as well as small swellings and white plaques in the pharynx. She suffers from one of the most intense forms of mononucleosis, she also had plaques on her skin and was hospitalized for four days in a private hospital in Salvador.
“I haven’t kissed yet, mind you,” he points out, now 29 years old. “I’ve always had a habit of biting pencils and pens, as well as biting my nails, so I guess that was the form of transmission.”
Silva confirms that it is very difficult to associate the transmission with kissing, considering that most Brazilians have the disease. “People collect all the prejudice they already have with Anitta, through songs and attitudes, to make it clear that it is a ‘kiss only’ disease, of promiscuous people. But it’s nothing like that, it has nothing to do with behavior,” she points out.
However, if you’re diagnosed with mono, isolation is recommended, but it’s not necessary to withdraw from society without symptoms, according to doctors. Bruna recalls that, after being discharged from the hospital, she still didn’t go to class for a week.
In the case of literature student Maria Vitória Dias, 25, despite being at her ex-girlfriend’s house and having been diagnosed by her ex-mother-in-law, a doctor, neither of them became infected, not even between hugs and kisses.
Is it possible to recover after Epstein-Barr virus infection?
The young woman believes that the fact that she is recovering from a COVID-19 allowed the disease to develop. Just like herpes, the infected person stays with the virus for years until something causes it to manifest, such as a decline in immunity or episodes of stress and anxiety.
Even the treatment is performed only on the basis of the symptoms produced. “There is no specific drug that kills the virus. What we do is cure diseases, if (the virus) produces, of course,” she sums up. In both Maria Victoria’s and Bruna’s cases, both received corticoid throat medications.
When asked about a cure, the expert stresses that “a cure for the disease is not a cure for the virus”. The doctor illustrates the case with the behavior of another similar virus, belonging to the same family: chicken pox. Here, someone who has had the disease, even years after the condition continues with the virus in the body. This stay can cause another disease, shingles.
What are the serious forms of infection caused by the Epstein-Barr virus?
In addition to mononucleosis, EBV may be linked to an increased risk of seven other diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), multiple sclerosis (MS) and type 1 diabetes🇧🇷 Badaró also adds Burkitt’s lymphoma, a serious disease that has been associated with EBV after research on the African continent, although the specific cause and effect relationship has not yet been fully described by medicine.
“The infected person must monitor IgG and IgM antibodies, a test similar to that of covid-19, to verify that these antibodies disappear,” advises the titular professor of the Senais and Cimatec University Health Center.
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Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
