Kissing has always for a long time been considered by many as a harmless romantic gesture but people might be forced to give it a second thought if reports indicating that kissing can cause cancer are anything to go by.

According to a story published in the Standard Newspaper, researchers from the University of Nairobi and University of Washington in the US have established that saliva and close mouth-to-mouth interaction between two people could be the biggest possible mode of transmission of the herpes virus 8, which is linked to the development of the skin cancer called Kaposi sarcoma.

The findings are reported to be from a study that was conducted in Mombasa where 40 women were sampled. High concentrations of the herpes virus were discovered in 27 out of the total number of the participants. The samples are said to have been collected daily for 30 days and sent to the University of Washington for analysis.

ORAL SEX AND CANCER

Well, looks like the romance arena is under ‘threat’ as the findings linking kissing to cancer follows a similar study conducted a year ago that links oral sex to rising cases of throat cancer in men.

According to an article published on the men tabloid, Mens Journal, more men are contracting throat cancer from human papillomavirus, or HPV, a common sexually transmitted disease in the U.S.

“According to data from 2004, the most recent available, rates of HPV-related throat cancer had risen 225 percent in the previous 16 years, with men suffering the most cases.” reads part of the article.

Genital human papillomavirus (also called HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are more than 40 HPV types that can infect the genital areas of males and females and the infection is passed on through genital contact, most often during vaginal and anal sex. HPV may also be passed on during oral sex and genital-to-genital contact.

According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) almost every sexually active person will acquire HPV at some point in their lives.