Did you know that every time a sick person coughs, they expel some 2,000 virus-laden droplets? When you touch a door handle coated with the virus and rub your nose or inhale any of them, they burrow into your airways. But unlike cold that attacks the nose, the flu virus can travel into the lungs. But how does it affect your immune system, and what does the virus do to your body? Here's everything you need to know.

In The First Few Hours

As soon as the virus attacks your body, your immune system goes on a defensive mode. It begins churning out T cells and antibodies that destroy the virus. Dengue Fever Symptoms: Warning Signs of the Vector-Borne Disease You Should NEVER Ignore. 

For The Next Two Days

The virus uses your body's cellular machinery as your body's copy machine. The flu multiplies rapidly and infects the cells in your body, spewing virus everywhere. You will find yourself sneezing or coughing into your inner elbow since you are now contagious.

By Day Four

Since your immune system can't keep up with the furious spread of flu, symptoms hit you like an avalanche. You can go from feeling peppy at lunchtime to being bedridden in the evening with fever, chills and headache. Apart from the virus, the inflammation makes you feel like crap. When you are using all the energy in your body to slay the flu, you can hardly get-up-and-go to the bathroom.

You also develop a dry cough with all the debris clogging up your lungs. The irritation results in throat ache and triggers a release of mucous. Coronavirus Can Go Undetected in Healthy People Without Symptoms, Says Lancet Study; Case of 10-Year-Old Wuhan Boy Validates Claim. 

By The Next Three to Five Days

At this time, the antibodies and T cells are locked to the targets. You might recover faster if you have taken a prescription drug but take enough fluids and rest throughout the day. Sometimes the harmless throat bacteria descends into your lungs to feed the dead cell remnants throwing you at risk of pneumonia. Saffron or Zafran for Winter: How This Magical Spice Can Serve as a One-Stop Solution for All Problems in Cold Season. 

After About a Week

If you were lucky to escape pneumonia, your immune system stamps out to fight the flu virus. The inflammation and the symptoms slowly subside but exercise caution as you may still be contagious for a day or two more.

The best way to fend off the new virus is to maintain proper hygiene by washing your hands regularly. Scrub your hands with running water after shaking hands with people and touching germy stuff like the bathroom stall.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 06, 2020 11:15 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).