When the foundation of anything is weak, the end result is collapse of that structure.
The immune system is made up of cells and they are the backbone or foundation upon which a healthy body relies on and once there is a compromise on its integrity, problem ensues.
A lot has been said about this deadly Covid-19 pandemic and it is no longer news that one needs to be extremely careful and cautious of where they go, who they interact with, things they touch and as well as ensuring social distancing.
Viruses generally love to attack immune cells, take over the genetic machinery of their host to produce millons of their own copies.
They are more interested in those cells that will likely be a challenge to them; the immune cells and as such they hide in disguise inside cells.
Naturally, what the body does is to produce soldiers aka the antibodies.
These antibodies are specific to the particular viral antigen that elicited them and what they do basically is to attack the virus in a bid to destroy and clear them out of the body system.
Now, the cells that produces these antibodies are a type of the white blood cells that play major role in the immunity and they are the B-cells.
Generally, you can as well include the lymphocytes such as the T-cells (helper T cells and cytotoxic T cells).
Most virus like the HIV virus targets this T cells because once these cells are down, it is easier for them to thrive and dominate their host entire system.
So now you understand what happens, what then do you do to stay healthy, safe and free from any opportunistic infections.
Remember, a weakened immune system is more prone to infection than a very strong immune system.
A big question you might want to ask goes thus:
Does the nature of the immune system have much effect on Corona virus?
One dangerous thing about most respiratory viruses is that, they are at first not so much interested in your immune cells because they target the cells of the lungs - the pneumocytes.
For Covid-19, it is more interested in the type 2 pneumocytes, the cells that produces surfactant - substances that ensures that there is no increase in surface tension in the lungs thus, prevent the lungs from collapsing.
They use the cells of the type 2 pneumocytes to replicate more millions of viral particles that continue to damage more cells of the lungs.
Unlike HIV virus that majorly targets the immune system cells. So it is very important to as much as possible maintain social distancing and ensure proper washing of hands with soap and running water.
Your best chance is to prevent the virus from entering.
Your immune system though plays a vital role by delaying the damages to be done by the invading virus and it does this by producing antibodies such as the IgM and the IgG in a bid to fight and clear the virus but the big question here is; for how long can they hold off the virus.
They are not enough to overwhelm the virus without any vaccine or antiviral drugs.
Treatment with antiviral drugs are the best option for viral infections since they basically go to either block the virus from replicating or block their receptor binding sites.
It is the resultant effects of the damages caused by the virus that causes various symptoms and signs such as fever, difficulty in breathing, tachycardia (increased heart beat) etc you see in patients infected with Corona virus.
Covid-19 infection process
When the foundation of anything is weak, the end result is collapse of that structure.
The immune system is made up of cells and they are the backbone or foundation upon which a healthy body relies on and once there is a compromise on its integrity, problem ensues.
A lot has been said about this deadly Covid-19 pandemic and it is no longer news that one needs to be extremely careful and cautious of where they go, who they interact with, things they touch and as well as ensuring social distancing.
Viruses generally love to attack immune cells, take over the genetic machinery of their host to produce millons of their own copies.
They are more interested in those cells that will likely be a challenge to them; the immune cells and as such they hide in disguise inside cells.
Naturally, what the body does is to produce soldiers aka the antibodies.
These antibodies are specific to the particular viral antigen that elicited them and what they do basically is to attack the virus in a bid to destroy and clear them out of the body system.
Now, the cells that produces these antibodies are a type of the white blood cells that play major role in the immunity and they are the B-cells.
Generally, you can as well include the lymphocytes such as the T-cells (helper T cells and cytotoxic T cells).
Most virus like the HIV virus targets this T cells because once these cells are down, it is easier for them to thrive and dominate their host entire system.
So now you understand what happens, what then do you do to stay healthy, safe and free from any opportunistic infections.
Remember, a weakened immune system is more prone to infection than a very strong immune system.
A big question you might want to ask goes thus:
Does the nature of the immune system have much effect on Corona virus?
One dangerous thing about most respiratory viruses is that, they are at first not so much interested in your immune cells because they target the cells of the lungs - the pneumocytes.
For Covid-19, it is more interested in the type 2 pneumocytes, the cells that produces surfactant - substances that ensures that there is no increase in surface tension in the lungs thus, prevent the lungs from collapsing.
They use the cells of the type 2 pneumocytes to replicate more millions of viral particles that continue to damage more cells of the lungs.
Unlike HIV virus that majorly targets the immune system cells. So it is very important to as much as possible maintain social distancing and ensure proper washing of hands with soap and running water.
Your best chance is to prevent the virus from entering.
Your immune system though plays a vital role by delaying the damages to be done by the invading virus and it does this by producing antibodies such as the IgM and the IgG in a bid to fight and clear the virus but the big question here is; for how long can they hold off the virus.
They are not enough to overwhelm the virus without any vaccine or antiviral drugs.
Treatment with antiviral drugs are the best option for viral infections since they basically go to either block the virus from replicating or block their receptor binding sites.
It is the resultant effects of the damages caused by the virus that causes various symptoms and signs such as fever, difficulty in breathing, tachycardia (increased heart beat) etc you see in patients infected with Corona virus.
We will continue next time...keep in touch.
