Our body has immune system which is capable of handling these viruses. Corona viruses enter our body via nose or mouth and our respiratory and digestive track is well equipped with various systems which if function well can handle the viruses at the point of entry itself. Most of the microbes entering into our digestive system are destroyed in gastric acid. Those viruses which are entering into our respiratory system, first are trapped in mucous in the upper respiratory system that is in nose, throat, trachea, bronchi or in bronchioles. Mucous in respiratory track being sticky can trap most of the microbes, dust and many other particles easily. If our respiratory system is working well and is in healthy condition, the virus can be trapped into the mucous and trapped virus with mucous will slowly slowly transported towards to throat by a special process called mucociliary clearance (Fig 1). Cilia is a special hair like structure present on the surface of our respiratory track. Cilia beats in co-ordination with other nearby cilia to push the mucous against the gravity and to bring it to throat. That's why, you may feel some mucous / cough in throat at regular interval, especially in the morning, this is the effect as a result of mucociliary clearance process.
This story is from the March - April 2022 edition of Scientific India.
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This story is from the March - April 2022 edition of Scientific India.
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