NRS-427V
Mononucleosis
Mononucleosis is a viral infection that affects the heart, lymphatic system, spleen and throat and is commonly known as the “kissing disease” or “Mono”. It mainly affects children and adolescents and does not have a specific treatment. Here we will discuss the virus, the signs and symptoms, causes and the determinants of health. We will also discuss as the role of the community nurse and efforts made by the World Health Organization (WHO) to educate and prevent the spread of the virus.
Mononucleosis is a viral infectious disease that produces lymph node enlargement that is commonly known as hyperplasia (Bryant, 2013). Symptoms are like most viruses and can include, fever, …show more content…
The number of children affected by mononucleosis in the United States is approximately 50%, but does not commonly cause death. Those that do succumb to the disease generally do not seek the appropriate amount of medical treatment and may have been suffering from a secondary medical condition that exacerbated the symptoms of mononucleosis (healthresearchfunding.org). According to the WHO there were only 78 deaths associated to mononucleosis, 13 of which were in the United States. The prevalence of the disease is quite high. Over 95% of adults over the age of 30 have been infected with EBV and approximately 35-50% of adults in their 20’s have been infected …show more content…
Communities need to be educated on the virus, the causes of the virus and how the virus is spread. Education in the schools should be focused on the prevention of the spread of any virus. These can include but not limited to proper hand hygiene, refraining from sharing drinks and food and respiratory etiquette such as sneezing and coughing into the armpit and not on the hands. With the high number of adults that have been affected by HPV they also need to be educated on how the virus is transmitted to prevent from infected adolescents around them. The community health nurse and the WHO play very important roles in helping in the education and the prevention of these and many other