How do children get mono and is it contageous? my son is 6 and going to be 7 in a few months. he goes to public school in hawaii

Infectious : Infectious mono is a viral illness caused by the epstein barr virus (ebv). It is spread primarily through saliva which is why it is also known as the "kissing disease", but can also be spread through sharing eating utensils. Even among people who catch ebv, many are not symptomatic, so special precautions (such as no kissing) are not needed. 95% of adults aged 35-40 have been exposed to it at some point and have immunity to it - at least 50% of them had no symptoms of mono. I attached a link to the page on ebv from the center for disease control with more information.

MONO: Mononucleosis is an infection which can be caused by the Epstein-Barr Virus or the Cytomegalovirus. It causes swollen lymph nodes, sore throat & fever and is spread when people have close contact. It is sometimes called the kissing disease. Avoid sharing utensils or kissing if someone has mononucleosis.