How Strong Are Children's Immune Systems? | Dw Documentary

You might remember that during the pandemic, children were less likely than adults to get seriously ill from the Covid-19 virus. But why? 🤔 Donna Farber, Professor of Microbiology & Immunology at Columbia University in New York, might have an answer! Our immune system relies on a special kind of white blood cell called T cells, to recognize when our bodies cells are infected and to help coordinate the fight against viruses, like Covid-19.

T cells are key for a healthy immune system because they can "remember" past infections, allowing them to respond more quickly the next time the virus shows up, like specialists trained for a particular job.

Children also have T cells, but Donna Farber found that children have many more so-called "naïve" T cells, T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen, which are very effective at fighting new viruses. This gave them an advantage when they encountered Covid-19.

Watch the full documentary “Our immune system - Miracle weapon against cancer?” on the DW Documentary YouTube channel. #documentary #dwdocumentary #dwdocs #health #cells #science ______

DW Documentary gives you knowledge beyond the headlines. Watch top documentaries from German broadcasters and international production companies. Meet intriguing people, travel to distant lands, get a look behind the complexities of daily life and build a deeper understanding of current affairs and global events. Subscribe and explore the world around you with DW Documentary.

Subscribe to: ‬ ⮞ DW Documentary (English): https://www.youtube.com/@DWDocumentary ⮞ DW Documental (Spanish): https://www.youtube.com/@DWDocumental ⮞ DW Documentary وثائقية دي دبليو (Arabic): https://www.youtube.com/@DWDocarabia ⮞ DW Documentary हिन्दी (Hindi): https://www.youtube.com/@DWDochindi ⮞ DW Dokumenter (Indonesian): https://www.youtube.com/@DWDokumenter ⮞ DW Doku (German): https://www.youtube.com/@dwdoku

For more visit: http://www.dw.com/en/tv/docfilm/s-3610 Follow DW Documentary on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwdocumentary/ Follow DW Documental on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dwdocumental

We kindly ask viewers to read and stick to the DW netiquette policy on our channel: https://p.dw.com/p/MF1G