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Mono Virus Recovery

Mononucleosis---"mono"---is caused by the Epstein-Barr herpesvirus, which infects most people throughout the world at some point, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mononucleosis results in 35 percent to 50 percent of the teenagers and young adult who get infected.

  1. Recovery Time

    • Compared to some other viruses, people with mononucleosis have a long road ahead. The illness usually lasts a month or two, while flu has a recovery time of about a week.

    Symptoms

    • A person with mononucleosis is tired and headachy and develops a sore throat, fever, and swollen tonsils and lymph glands. The liver and spleen sometimes swell. Rarely, the heart or central nervous system is affected.

    No Cure

    • As a viral infection, mononucleosis has no cure. Once infected with the Epstein-Barr virus, or EBV, a person remains infected, usually with no signs. The virus lies dormant, perhaps occasionally reactivating.

    Treatment

    • The only treatment for mononucleosis is in trying to relieve the symptoms by resting, taking fever reducers and so on. Steroids are sometimes prescribed to address swelling.

    Unresolved Symptoms

    • Sometimes the illness lingers longer. If symptoms persist more than six months, it might be called chronic EBV, though blood work usually reveals no active infection. Chronic fatigue syndrome might be the cause.

    Acute CMV Infection

    • Cytomegalovirus or CMV, another herpesvirus, can cause the less common infectious mononucleosis, or acute CMV infection. Again, treating symptoms is the only recourse.

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