mono in toddlers

[Anonymous]

we have out-of-town friends that have two toddlers & the 18 month old had mono about a month ago...they had talked about wanting to visit (& stay) with us...we have a 3 year old & a 6 month old...I know their son's symptoms have gone away, but I am concerned about them staying w/us with babies & toddlers putting everything in mouths & the contagion period for mono seems to be quite long. (& once you have it, I read, you have it for life!)...Any thoughts or input?

[Anonymous]

It isn't so much that you have active disease for life as it is that you can randomly shed it at anytime.

Of course, the same is true for YOU -- something like 97% of adults have had it by 30.

This isn't something I'd stress over. EBV is often very mild in kids, presenting like a minor cold. My daughter had it and became quite ill but only because she had another couple things going on at the same time. I don't know if my baby got it or not -- if she did, she really wasn't symptomatic. Many people develop the antibodies without developing full blown illness. I would not cancel a visit over this.