How Does the immune system fight Viruses

1. How Does the immune system fight Viruses We live in a microbial world that means we constantly encounter microorganisms that could harm our health. Our immune system continuously defends us against these threats to our survival Viruses are all around us, in the air you breathe and things you touch and water you drink. Do you know that every day we breathe in over 100,000,000 viruses! Most of these are harmless, but some can make us sick. Viruses are tiny agents that invade the cells and hijack our cell machinery to produce millions of copies of the virus, assembling a viral army which bursts out of the cell, spreading the invasion throughout the body. Thus they are called intracellular parasites that can only replicate inside cells. Viruses are made up of an outer shell consisting of protein which carries the virus’ DNA or RNA – the genetic code with the instructions for making new copies of the virus. There are many different types of virus that can cause diseases from the common cold and flu to chicken pox, AIDS or Covid- 19. During infection, viruses invade our cells in order to reproduce. Each cell becomes a virus factory, which eventually bursts by releasing 10,000 new viruses which can go on to infect other cells. The human body makes use of antibodies to fight disease. Immune system fight herpes virus are one of the key weapons against viruses in our immune systems made by our white blood cells to fight off invaders and keep us healthy. Each of us has more than 10 billion different kinds of antibody. Do you know we have ~3x107 unique antibodies? After recognizing an invading virus, the cells (B-cells) that produce the individual binding antibody are stimulated to divide. Antibodies bind to viruses, marking them as invaders so that white blood cells can engulf and destroy them. The corona virus pandemic has turned the world’s attention to the immune system, the body’s self- healing mechanism and defense action to fight. How does the immune system respond to corona virus attack? The corona virus is — like any other virus — having an outer shell around the genetic material and a few proteins. To replicate, it needs a host in the form of a living cell. A cascade of viruses enters the body through nose, ear or mouth. Breathing carries these particles to the lower respiratory tract where they initiate the process, capturing our cell mechanism. Infected cell does what the virus commands it to do: copy information, assemble it, and release it. These changes are noticed by the body's immune defense system, within few minutes immune system intervenes with its innate response to produce scavenger and killer cells from the lymphatic Immune system fighting bacteria. Individuals with low immunity are more prone to adverse effects of these viruses.

2. It is advisable to maintain a healthy lifestyle – eating a balanced diet, avoid smoking, moderate drinking or no alcohol, sleeping well, following regime of regular moderate exercise and destressing techniques, supports our immune systems in winning the battle against the viruses and all odds. But the first line of defense is to prevent infection from entering the body. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended basic protective measures against COVID- 19 are frequent hand washing with soap and water, or cleaning hands with an alcohol-based rub; maintaining social distancing; avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth; and covering your nose and mouth with a bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. These simple actions are vital to slowing the spread of a new disease like the corona virus – to which nearly everyone is susceptible. Source url - http://weightlossbeautycare.mystrikingly.com/blog/how-does-the-immune-system- fight-viruses