Immune System

In the depths of a northern hemisphere winter each year we get a hint of what we may expect in the way of health compromising viruses and pathogens for the approaching winter.

Very often the origins of the viruses are the livestock food markets of Asia that seem to be the breeding ground where viruses mutate via livestock infecting the humans and start their global journey infecting major populated centres first and making their way eventually to the remote regions the isolated nooks and crannies of the world.

Viruses are a great example of evolution, they are constantly changing and morphing to adapt to the ever changing environment of host animals; if a virus kills its host it will of course die itself as it relies on a host for its very survival, so it has this constant need to adapt. There are some great examples throughout our history the likes of the plague (Black Death) of Europe; the transmission was via fleas and rats in densely populated unsanitary towns and cities of the era, resulting in the death of a 1/3 to a 1/2 of populations affected.

The impact on the human genome which is of course the reorganisation of our DNA and hereditary information, our designed blue print passing through our generations; the DNA changes are apparent when studying populations that survived the plague in Europe and populations that were not affected like India and Pakistan where the plague did not reach. Very often geographical barriers like mountain ranges and deserts in the past effectively quarantined the more remote distant populations.

The challenge of today’s world is the rapid movement of people and goods around the world and the incubation period of those infected before symptoms manifest themselves. A good example is the Corona virus spread in South Korea, where a traveller from China became a super spreader on returning to Korea and attending a church gathering from there the virus spread very rapidly.

Each year, seasonal flu results in the death of an estimated 290,000 to 650,000 deaths worldwide according to the US centre for disease control. Each year we hear through the media about good years and bad years for the flu, the estimates put this in perspective; very often the people most affected are the elderly, the young and those with compromised immune systems, like transplant patients, people undergoing cancer treatment and those on various combinations of prescription medication and street drugs, all of the above are at greater risk than the younger, fit and healthy populations with robust immune systems.

Our lymph nodes are fundamental to our immune response, there are between 600-700 lymph nodes present in a human body filtering lymph fluid as it circulates through our bodies, their role is to neutralise viruses and pathogens that may enter our body from time to time.

Our bone marrow and white blood cells are all integral to our immune response. A medical examination very often involves a check by physical examination of our various key lymph nodes; swollen lymph nodes are an indication of an immune response to a pathogen or virus.

The lymphatic system is one of our frontline defence and response mechanisms to maintain good health.

A personal experience and example of what we have been discussing was a sailing trip I made in 1978 from Cape Town South Africa to Europe; there was a virulent strain of a flu virus doing the rounds in Cape Town, the passage time to St Helena was either side of 2 weeks, we spent a few days anchored off Jamestown, St Helena with a number of other yachts at the time St Helena had no airports and very little contact with the rest of the world, apart from a supply ship a couple of times a year and visiting yachts.

The visiting yachts must have carried the flu virus from Cape Town to St Helena as when we reached Ascension Island the news came through via radio contact that 6 people out of a population of 5,000 had died of the flu on St Helena.

This is a good example of an isolated population not receiving the benefits of regular contact with the viruses and pathogens that those living in more densely populated areas are exposed to, this regular contact with the current viruses boost our immune systems enabling us to ward off the constantly changing viruses that circle our world.

In summary take all possible measures to support and boost your own and your families’ immune systems, avoid contact with those showing symptoms and take care if you or family member’s exhibit symptoms to minimise contact with others and at all times personal hygiene and hygienic food handling may limit the spread of pathogens and viruses.