You may also need to get some blood tests. Smart Grocery Shopping When You Have Diabetes, Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Dogs and Cats, Coronavirus in Context: Interviews With Experts. Common symptoms … Once you're infected with EBV, symptoms can take 4 to 6 weeks to show up. Other viruses can also cause mononucleosis. Drink a lot of water and other liquids to stay hydrated. If you get EBV, you may start to have symptoms of mono within about 4 to 7 weeks. What are the signs and symptoms of mono? You might know this disease better by its nickname, "mono." EBV stays in your body long after you get over mono. The classic symptoms of this illness tend to occur more frequently among teenagers, especially those 15 to 17 years old, and in adults in their 20s. Mononucleosis is not considered a serious illness, but its symptoms may be severe enough to prevent a person from engaging in normal activities for several weeks. Sore throat, perhaps misdiagnosed as strep throat, that doesn't get better after treatment with antibiotics 3. He might find signs that you have mono, such as an enlarged spleen, an organ in your belly that filters blood. ", American Academy of Pediatrics: "Infectious Mononucleosis.". You might know this disease better by its nickname, "mono." Mono is an infection caused by a virus. You could have another type of infection besides mononucleosis. For some people, … Kids' symptoms may be more like those of a cold or flu. It's hard to tell whether you have mononucleosis just by your symptoms. Typical symptoms of infectious mononucleosis usually appear four to six weeks after you get infected with EBV. See your doctor for an exam to learn for sure what's making you sick. The best way to avoid catching it is to stay away from anyone who has mono. Mono should clear up on its own without treatment in a few weeks. You may still feel tired a couple of months later. Headache 7. Also avoid kissing or having sex with an infected person. Skin rash 8. You don't have to be sick to pass the virus to someone else. Mono is spread through saliva. The virus is found in saliva, so you can catch mono from kissing someone who’s infected. © 2005 - 2019 WebMD LLC. There are some rare complications of mono, so see your doctor if you or your child has any of these symptoms: Also call if your symptoms don't go away after 4 to 6 weeks. Most people start to recover from mononucleosis within 2 weeks, though some symptoms, such as fatigue, can take 3-4 weeks or even longer to go away. Swollen tonsils 6. Although no medicine can cure an EBV infection, you can take these steps at home to ease your symptoms: Ease back into work or school, taking things slowly until you feel better. Mono can cause different symptoms in different people. It’s most common in teens and young adults. Soft, swollen spleenThe virus has an incubation period of approximately four to six weeks, although in young children this period may be shorter. WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Mononucleosis, also called mono or the kissing disease, is an infection caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. COVID-19 Vaccines: Updates You Need to Know, Sign Up to Receive Our Free Coroanvirus Newsletter, Slideshow: A Visual Guide to Multiple Sclerosis, Lymphoma: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment. Extreme tiredness or weakness Signs and symptoms of mononucleosis may include: 1. Fever, fatigue, and sore throat could also be signs of other illnesses, like the flu or a cold. No vaccine can protect you against the EBV virus. What is mononucleosis (mono)? All rights reserved. Teens often have more obvious symptoms of mono.