Over the last several decades, the number of people living with multiple sclerosis in the U.S. has more than doubled. Nearly one million Americans are living with the condition and about 200 new cases of MS are diagnosed each week.

A recent study out of Harvard School of Public Health found a strong relationship between those who had mononucleosis, or the “kissing disease,” and multiple sclerosis later in life. Those who had the virus had a 32x higher risk of developing MS. Because of this study’s results, researchers are now working on developing a potential vaccine for multiple sclerosis in the future.

Dr. Rola Mahmoud, neurologist and director of Saint Luke’s Comprehensive Multiple Sclerosis Center, spoke with KSHB about the study.