Official News page 7

REAL LIFE NEWS: SPREAD A LITTLE LOVE AND SOME GERMS AROUND

by Hazed

Why do humans kiss? Yes, it feels good, but why? There have been many theories over the years but a new one is rather repulsive: it is suggested that we kiss in order to spread germs. Ewwww!

The reasoning goes like this. There is a virus called cytomegalovirus which lives in human saliva. It's normally harmless, but when it's introduced to the body during pregnancy, it can be very dangerous, causing miscarriages or birth defects such as deafness or cerebral palsy. However, if a woman has contact with the virus in small doses before she conceives, she will build up an immunity to the virus, so by the time she becomes pregnant, she won't be affected - and neither will the baby.

Ideally, she needs to be kissing the same man for six months before getting pregnant. The way kissing tends to escalate during the early part of a relationship is also important. The first peck on the cheek delivers just a small amount of virus to the woman which reduces her chances of becoming seriously ill. A chaste touch of the lips gives a little more, then as the snogging becomes more passionate, stronger and stronger doses are delivered.

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