Scots woman in hospital with "kissing disease" after snog with man in Glasgow bar

Neve says the pair shared an innocent kiss on the dance floor and thought nothing of it.
-Credit: (Image: Kennedy News & Media)


A Scots 'party girl' who claims she was hospitalised after contracting 'kissing disease' from snogging a man in a bar says it 'ruined' her graduation.

Neve McRavey, 22, had been out clubbing with her friends earlier this month to celebrate finishing her degree at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.

After meeting a random guy at the bar, Neve says the pair shared an innocent kiss on the dance floor and thought nothing of it.

Kennedy News & Media
Neve on IV drip on hospital. -Credit:Kennedy News & Media

It was only when she woke up the following morning with a sore throat that she realised something was wrong, but put the issue down to tonsillitis.

Neve said her symptoms worsened over the following day and when she began 'gagging' on her own saliva, she opted to visit her GP who prescribed her antibiotics.

However, when the medicine didn't work, the graduate went to hospital where she was diagnosed with glandular fever and fitted with an IV to rehydrate her.

Since snogging the stranger in a bar, Neve says she has been left almost bed bound and has even struggled to leave the house.

Neve even admitted contracting glandular fever 'ruined' her graduation on Wednesday, June 26th as her symptoms stopped her from being able to celebrate along with friends and family.

She has been single since March, is now warning other singletons to be cautious about who they kiss on nights out to ensure they don't face the same fate as her.

Neve, from Glasgow in Scotland, said: "It's called kissing disease. When I heard this so much regret was going through my head.

"I've been single since March. I've been going out every weekend with the girls, dancing and having fun.

"Occasionally I'd meet a guy at the bar and get chatting and have a kiss on the dancefloor.

"The first couple of weekends in June I was out celebrating handing in my dissertation. I got a 2.1 so was out celebrating all the hard work.

"On Sunday I woke up with a funny throat. I'm quite prone to tonsillitis so I just thought it was this at first.

"On Monday morning I woke up and I couldn't even swallow my own saliva and I was gagging on it.

"I was really ill so I went to the doctors and they thought it was tonsillitis so they gave my antibiotics.

"The antibiotics didn't work and I kept feeling worse. I had a very high fever, swollen glands, I was sweating buckets and vomiting and I was so weak I couldn't really walk right.

"I went back to the doctors a couple of times and they tried to give me more medication but nothing was working. I then went to the hospital and it turns out it was glandular fever.

"When you're drunk and single you don't think anything of it [kissing a random person] and it's just a bit of fun.

"It's been well over three weeks now and I've spent nearly a month of my life bed bound and at the hospital just because I kissed someone at a bar.

"I didn't really get the graduation I wanted. All I could manage was to walk across the stage, take my photos and then go back to sleep.

"I had a lovely dinner booked with my family, and then me and my friends had tables booked out everywhere for a big night out."

According to the NHS, glandular fever is a viral infection that mostly affects teenagers and young adults which includes symptoms such as a sore throat and extreme tiredness.

The infection can get better without treatment but it can last for weeks and make you feel very ill.

Neve said due to her 'weak' immune system her body is struggling to fight the infection and it could take weeks for her to get better.

She is now advising other single people to take 'personal responsibility' to not kiss people on nights out if they're not well themselves.

Neve, who graduated with an English literature and journalism degree, said: "I think as a young person it's part of our culture to go out and have a good night and sometimes part of that night includes kissing someone.

"It's glamorised in song lyrics to go out kiss boys and have fun. I was all about this and was a party girl.

"I think now after everything has happened I will be much more selective [with whom I kiss].

"I also feel that there is some personal responsibility too. With me being ill, I wouldn't kiss anybody for a long time but obviously the boy who kissed me knew they had been sick recently but didn't really care.

"If that boy had glandular fever, he was probably sick for a week and did not think anything of it.

"But, because I have a weak immune system, it floored me and ruined one of the most special moments in my life, which was my graduation."

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