Given the challenge, it’s no wonder we don’t have a cure for the common cold. Instead, it’s up to our own immune system to help fight back. Viruses frequently mutate, on top of this there are over 200 cold viruses and various different flu strains, therefore our bodies need time to recognise the virus and prepare an adequate defence. When our immune systems take too long to respond, such as when we encounter a virus our immune system does not recognise, or when the virus is particularly aggressive, we get ill.
How does your body fight off the cold and flu?
Colds and flu are among the most common human ailments. The average adult suffers two or three colds per year, while children can get two to three times that many.1 The term “cold” is just an umbrella expression for hundreds of similarly behaving viruses – a host of pathogens so vast that doctors diagnose more or less exclusively by symptom, if they diagnose at all. By the time a doctor figured out which virus was responsible, your cold symptoms would be gone!
THE IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
HOW DOES A VIRUS THINK?
Strictly speaking, viruses are not even alive. They are more than a thousand times smaller than bacteria and are little more than a strip of genetic material with a protein coating. Upon entering the body, they attach themselves to human cells and force the host cells to produce virus DNA. When the host cells eventually burst, new viruses spill out and attack new, healthy cells.2
HOW DOES YOUR BODY FIGHT OFF THE COLD AND FLU?
When enough of these cells have been damaged, the immune system swings into action and begins sending out virus-fighting cells and proteins, which can cause inflammation. This is why you might get a high fever if you have flu. Most of the cold and flu symptoms we experience are the result of our bodies trying to fight the infection, rather than the infection itself.
Understanding the Symptoms of the Common Cold and Influenza. The Lancet Infect Dis..
Apex Learning Science. Are Viruses Alive? http://www.beyondbooks.com/lif72/2c.asp