ARV's in our lives[swiss].indd - Treatment Action Campaign

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Excretory kidneys, ureters, bladder,
urethra, skin, lungs
Nervous brain, spinal cord, nerves,
sense organs, receptors
Endocrine endocrine glands and
hormones
Lymphatic lymph nodes, spleen, lymph
vessels
eliminates waste; maintains water and chemical
balance
controls and co-ordinates body movements
and senses; controls consciousness and
creativity; helps monitor and maintain other
body systems
maintains homeostasis; regulates metabolism,
water and mineral balance, growth and sexual
development, and reproduction
cleans and returns tissue fluid to the blood and
destroys pathogens that enter the body
Integumentary skin, hair, nails protects against pathogens; helps regulate
body temperature
Reproductive ovaries, uterus, mammary
glands (in females), testes (in
males)
produces gametes and offspring
Germs and our immune system
As human beings we are exposed to all sorts of germs all the time.
There are germs in the air we breathe, the water we drink, food we eat,
in our surroundings. Some germs live in our bodies for as long as we
are alive.
Germs are not in our environment to decorate it. They constantly try
to find ways to make more of themselves and take over (colonise) the
environment. When they find an opportunity to do so, they will multiply.
Sometimes they do this in our bodies.
Because there are so many germs around us, we do a lot of
things to prevent them from colonising inside us:
• We wash our bodies to limit the number of germs on our skin.
• We try not to have rubbish lying around because germs grow
in rubbish and that way we limit the number of germs in our
immediate environment.
• We try to find clean water to drink to protect ourselves from
dangerous germs like bilharzia, cholera and others. When
governments provide access to clean water, they are promoting
public health and not just providing a convenience to people.
But even with all this, some germs can still make their way into our bodies and make us ill.
Natural protection from germs
The skin is our body’s biggest organ. It provides a barrier against germs that our bodies would
otherwise be constantly exposed to. Another barrier is the hair in our nose, which helps prevent us
from breathing in some germs.