Mononucleosis Outbreak Shutters Oklahoma School Until December, Protects 200 From 'Kissing Disease'
A school district in Oklahoma has suspended classes until December due to an outbreak of infectious mononucleosis, also known as the kissing disease, or mono for short.
The school district, Woodland Public Schools in Fairfax, is located about 100 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. Closing the school would help in preventing nearly 200 students from getting sick from the disease, which is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. During the students’ time off, the school will be cleaned and disinfected. “The closure is due to a high infection frequency of mononucleosis in our community,” the school wrote on its website.
Mono is known as the kissing disease because it is often transferred from human to human through shared saliva (and typically infects adolescents in their late teens or early 20s). The virus causes fever, severe sore throat, and perhaps most prominently, a dragging, seemingly endless fatigue that can last up to months. Though the disease affects everyone differently, it can also cause swollen lymph nodes, nausea, and headaches. In addition, the liver and spleen often swell up and can cause discomfort; people with mono aren’t allowed to play any contact sports or work out up to six months after their diagnosis in order to prevent bursting of the spleen. The major symptoms last up to two weeks, while the fatigue can drag on for months afterward.
There are no antibiotics or medication that can treat the virus; only drinking plenty of fluids and resting can get patients back on their feet. After a person has been infected with the virus, it remains in their system and they can never get the disease again, though it’s occasionally possible to have mild relapses. Over 90 percent of adults have become immune to the virus by the age of 40.
Because the fatigue is so encompassing, young people often struggle to maintain their school or work schedules after recovering from the first two or three weeks of the disease. Shutting the school down was probably a good call.