Teens Warned That Kissing Could Kill

Researchers have probed another activity that can spread meningococcal disease among teenagers: kissing.

A study in the British Medical Journal says intimate kissing of multiple partners can increase a teenager's risk of contracting meningococcal disease by up to four times.

The study looked at 144 teens aged 15 to 19 years. It identified intimate kissing, with tongues, as a new risk factor. The researchers defined "multiple partners" as two to seven partners in two weeks.

Meningococci bacteria pass easily between people through coughing, sneezing and saliva.

In England and the United States there was a dramatic increase in the incidence and fatality rate among teens from meningococcal disease during the 1990s.

The New Zealand Herald 4/3/06