The virus that causes influenza, or the flu, is one of many varieties that may quickly pass from person to person by airborne particles. If the particles are inhaled, they will pass into ever-tinier airways as they descend the trachea. At this stage, a virus's protein spikes may bind to other proteins on the cells lining the respiratory system. The cell, which acts as a kind of factory for viral replication, then absorbs the virus. In the process of spreading throughout the respiratory system, the newly generated viruses bud off the cell's surface.
A cough, scratchy throat, and runny or stuffy nose are examples of symptoms brought on by the swollen and inflamed tissues that are infected. Additional symptoms, like as fever, headache, muscle aches, and acute weariness, emerge when the virus spreads deeper throughout the body and into the bloodstream.
Fortunately, the immune system of the body kicks in to help repel the alien invaders. Specific immune cells known as B cells recognize the protein spikes on the viruses in the circulation and start to proliferate. When antibodies are produced, they bind to the protein spikes and mark the virus for eradication. This is done by the army of cells. The army of B cell clones is then prepared to combat the virus if it enters the body again by ingesting and eliminating the viruses by cells that identify the antibodies trapped to the viral surfaces.
This path is also used by the flu vaccine to shield you against the virus. In reality, the vaccination contains innocuous virus fragments that prime the immune system for a viral invasion. The influenza virus, however, is infamous for its propensity to mutate, or change, to the point where the new virus is not recognized by the immune system and can infect even those who have received vaccinations.
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