4 YOUR AMAZING BODY You are amazing So is your body Most of the time your body works just fine But sometimes germs invade it Germs can make you sick When this happens your immune system works to fight the infection
GET TO KNOW GERMS Germs are tiny organisms They can live inside people plants and animals There are four main types of germs VIRUSES Viruses are parasitic This means they cannot survive on their own They require a host cell to reproduce BACTERIA Bacteria are single celled creatures They can survive on their own or inside another living organism PROTOZOA FUNGI Protozoa are single celled Fungi are plant like creatures Some can organisms They get their survive on their own food from people plants Others are parasitic and animals 5
WHEN GERMS ATTACK When a disease causing germ enters your body you won't know it right away But your immune system detects the germ It springs into action INVASION Germs enter your body through the mouth nose or eyes Germs can also enter though cuts in the skin ATTACK The invading germs begin to make copies They spread inside your body 6
ALARM Your immune system detects the germs Your body sends white blood cells to fight the invaders FIGHT Some white blood cells eat the germ invaders Other white blood cells create antibodies Antibodies protect you from the same germ if it ever invades again RECOVER Once your white blood cells have destroyed the germ invaders you feel better How long this takes depends on the illness 7
