White Blood Cells

immune system · blood · body defense · super smart

Your tiny guards. White blood cells are larger than red blood cells and patrol your blood looking for germs, viruses, and anything else that shouldn't be there. When they find trouble, they attack and destroy it.

Three types of fighters. White blood cells come in three main types: granulocytes that grab and eat germs, lymphocytes that remember past enemies and create armor against them, and monocytes that patrol and clean up invaders.

Always on patrol. Your body makes billions of new white blood cells every single day, sending them through your bloodstream like an endless security team keeping you healthy.

Fighting off sickness. When you get a cold or infection, your white blood cells multiply fast to battle the germs, which is why you sometimes feel tired when you're sick - your body is working hard on defense.

Memory champions. Some white blood cells can remember germs they've fought before, so if the same germ comes back, your body defeats it faster - this is how vaccines help keep you healthy.