For kissing couples only: 5 icky diseases you can catch on “first base”
Kissing is definitely a step in the right
direction if you’re in the mood for love but a growing number of doctors
and researchers warn that indiscriminate smooching can make you sick.
 Here, from the respected Journal of
Contagious Diseases, are five hair-raising illnesses that you can catch while making
kissy-face, even on your first date:
1. Genital herpes, which, contrary to popular belief,
can be transmitted by kissing a person who picked up the virus after a lusty round of oral
sex with one or more of the 55 million Americans who have GH. Stay healthy by not kissing
anyone with lesions in their mouth.
2. Mononucleosis - the famed “kissing
disease” of the 1950s and ’60s - is back with a vengeance after years of pretty
much lying dormant. Doctors say it causes extreme fatigue and depression that can last for
months. Protect yourself by kissing only bubbly, energetic people.
3. Trenchmouth, or, as it is called in polite society,
“gum disease.” Most men and women over the age of 18 carry the bacteria that
cause red, inflamed gums and bone deterioration that leads to the loss of teeth - ALL men
and women over age 40 do. The bottom line? Don’t kiss anyone with loose or missing
teeth or rotten breath, which is a prime symptom.
4. Icky mouth ulcers are caused by a virus - not from
eating spicy foods as some people think. Kiss a person with mouth ulcers and you’ll
get them, too. Avoid trouble by telling a potential “kissee” to open wide and
say “ahhhh” before you tongue-rassle.
5. Colds and flu. Everybody knows the symptoms, so here’s
the plan: If you see somebody with a runny nose or who’s coughing and hacking and
bitching about achy joints head for the mistletoe, play it smart - and run the other way.
6. Head lice are common among people with small kids who bring
the pesky vermin home from school. If your date claws at her head and neck and
then puckers her lips, for God’s sake - start making excuses.
Some experts would add cancer, Lyme disease, AIDS, lupus and even hepatitis to the
list. But we’ll wait for more definitive studies before fanning those flames.
Copyright © 2009 4-Page Media, Inc./Your World
Report. All rights reserved.
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