Epstein Barr Cures Blog

For athletes who have had Epstein Barr, over exertion can cause a re-activation of the symptoms of landular fever or mononucleosis, or suppress immunity to the point where infections are easily picked up.

Australia’s Olympic swimmer Grant Hackett, a former Epstein Barr sufferer, was beaten today by less than a second in the Mens 1500m Final at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China. This dashed his hopes of claiming a third consecutive Olympic title.

Hackett had been confined to his bed for a day prior to the competition with a chest complaint that affected his breathing. It is well established that physical performance can be reduced during infection.

Hackett originally suffered from glandular fever, caused by Epstein Barr, when he raced in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Four years later he climbed from his sick bed again to win in Athens. Only later was it revealed that he had swum with a partially collapsed lung which reduced his lung capacity by a quarter.

For the 2008 Olympics, Hackett had taken extraordinary precautions to avoid infection. These included wearing face masks on the plane, avoiding handrails and other public surfaces, and even refraining from kissing his wife in the lead up to his events. He also decided not to march in the opening ceremony.

Hackett is not alone in suffering the long term effects of Epstein Barr. Another Australian swimming champion Ian Thorpe resigned from his elite swimming career in 2006, citing health complications due to having glandular fever.

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