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10/02/2006
Teens warned of meningitis kissing risk
Teenagers could quadruple their risk of contracting meningitis if they intimately kiss a number of different people, a study has suggested.
The research, published in the British Medical Journal, examined 144 cases of 15 to 19-year-olds with the potentially deadly infection in England and compared them with other teenagers from the same age group.
The researchers found that engaging in kissing with tongues with a number of different people was a risk factor for contracting meningococcal bacteria.
Several other risk factors were also identified, including a history of preceding illness, being a student and being born prematurely.
However, those who attended religious services were found to be at less at risk of contracting the disease.
Researchers suggested that this meant that altering personal behaviours could moderate the risk of contracting the infection.
Young children and adolescents are at most risk of contracting meningitis, which causes inflammation of the brain lining and is potentially fatal.
Rates of the infection rose among teenagers in England and the US during the 1990s, but the introduction of the meningitis C vaccine in the UK in 1999 has helped to reduce the number of infections. However, other forms of the infection continue to pose a problem.
Researchers said that development of further effective meningococcal vaccines remained a key public health priority.
(KMcA)
The research, published in the British Medical Journal, examined 144 cases of 15 to 19-year-olds with the potentially deadly infection in England and compared them with other teenagers from the same age group.
The researchers found that engaging in kissing with tongues with a number of different people was a risk factor for contracting meningococcal bacteria.
Several other risk factors were also identified, including a history of preceding illness, being a student and being born prematurely.
However, those who attended religious services were found to be at less at risk of contracting the disease.
Researchers suggested that this meant that altering personal behaviours could moderate the risk of contracting the infection.
Young children and adolescents are at most risk of contracting meningitis, which causes inflammation of the brain lining and is potentially fatal.
Rates of the infection rose among teenagers in England and the US during the 1990s, but the introduction of the meningitis C vaccine in the UK in 1999 has helped to reduce the number of infections. However, other forms of the infection continue to pose a problem.
Researchers said that development of further effective meningococcal vaccines remained a key public health priority.
(KMcA)
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