Am I contagious to other people?

[stacie1971]

My question is if I test EBV positive on a blood test am I contagious during that time?  If so in what manner?  body fluids, touching, close contact, sharing telephones?  I have a two year old nephew and a close friend with a new born I do not want to give the babies this illness.  I have had EBV for 6 months now and many other "internal" issues such as high liver enzymes, kidney infection, thyroid issues and higher than usual uric acid levels and I tend to get sick easier than normal.

Please explain this to me.

[9DodgeFan]

Hi, I'm not a doctor, but going by what I've heard from my infectious disease specialist, I wouldn't take any chances.  EBV is definitely contagious by saliva/body fluids, but from what I've heard, it may also be contagious by other contact or even by air.  On the plus side, if the 2-year old or newborn would get EBV, chances are it wouldn't affect them too badly since EBV is usually less severe in younger patients.  Not that I would recommend TRYING to give it to them; I'm just saying I don't think you need to be avoided like the plague or anything.  So again, I'm not a doctor, but that's going from some of the info. I've heard.  Hope that helps, and good luck to you!

[PlateletGal]

My heart goes out to you.  I hope that you will make a full recovery... there are people who do.

To answer your question, I don't believe there is concrete evidence to say that you are contagious but the evidence is mounting that some pathogens (EBV probably included) are communicable. So you might not want to share your drinks with your relatives.

I hope this helps !