VIVA – Everyone knows that vaccine is a substance or compound that functions to form immunity against a disease. However, do you know how vaccines work in our bodies?
According to Professor of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia (FKUI) Prof. DR. Dr. Budi Wiweko, SpOG (K), in principle, every cell in the body has an ‘identity or ID card’ that allows immune cells to recognize it as a friend, not an enemy.
Even so, there are times when these cells have problems with their ‘KTP’, so that they become unrecognized by immune cells. Of course, the immune system will attack the body’s own cells. This is known as an auto immune disease.
Then, how do immune cells react when foreign cells enter the body? The answer, could be in the form of a bacterial or viral infection.
Basically, said Prof. Budi, since it was formed, immune cells have been ‘educated in the thymus gland’ so that they are able to recognize their enemies well and not attack their own comrades.
“When bacteria or viruses enter, the body will build up its strength by mobilizing its immune cells from various layers. There are first, second and third layers as the last bastion. That is how Allah SWT created them perfectly,” said Prof. Budi, who is also the deputy. The Director of IMERI-FKUI, in a statement received by VIVA, Tuesday, July 20, 2021.
Well, the first layer of immune cells that we can easily recognize, for example, is the skin. The skin is regulated by moisture and many immune cells under the skin tissue are the body’s first line of defense.
If the first line is unable to repel the enemy, then the intermediary cells will be released that will call reinforcements and release various substances to destroy the enemy. These cells are known as cytokines.
Minor infections can generally be solved in the first level, but for viral infections (which are inside cells), he needs greater reinforcements to destroy the virus as well as the cells it infects.
–
