Mr. Khorvash: Alright, good afternoon class!
Today’s story will be narrated by Manuela, but before we begin...
Mr. Khorvash: Moustapha, is everything alright?
What’s wrong?
Moustapha: My nose is all stuffed up.
I don’t feel so well.
Mr. Khorvash: Seems to me you might have a cold.
Why don’t you go lay down while I call the office?
In the meantime, Manuela would you like to start your story?
Manuela: Sure thing sir, I have just the story!
One day there was a creature named Rhinovirus, or Rhino for short.
No, not that animal rhino!
The name “Rhino” means “nose” in Latin and was given to it because it loves to bother
human noses.
It has another nickname though: pathogen, because it always manages to cause destruction
wherever it goes, but we’re gonna stick to Rhino.
Rhino was a lonely creature, who loved to wander and explore.
It spends its summers and springs enjoying the great outdoors, but as soon as the temperature
drops, it begins to look for a place to hibernate.
It spends weeks, sometimes months, going from place to place looking for a family, and a
body to call home.
As the weather starts getting cooler, Rhino knew it had to act fast.
It discovered Tissue-land where many bodies use the land’s natural resource, tissues,
for daily use.
Rhino knew that if it wanted to have access to bodies, it would need to sneak into a tissue
factory.
It would take Rhino around 3 days to begin the journey, so it started to plan.
Rhinovirus was a smart schemer.
It began by thinking of all the possible entrances as soon as it got to the tissue factory.
There were four main entrances: mouth, nose, throat, and lungs.
Rhino decided to enter through nose, but knew to prepare for what would happen as soon as
it entered.
Rhinovirus was a team of one and the first part of the plan, was to convert the weakest
enemies to its team- the epithelia.
Epithelia are a wall of cells that cover the outside surfaces of Body.
They are soldiers who are meant to protect the walls and entrances of certain areas of
Body, like nose, but they are also weak creatures that would do anything to save themselves.
Rhino thought to himself, “As soon as I gain my control of them, I’ll be good to
go.
I’ll have an army of many!”
After gaining control over the epithelia, Rhino began preparing them for war.
Not long after, the epithelia’s neighbor, the immune cells, caught wind of the incoming
attack and began recruiting their own troops to defend Body!
Immune cells are also soldiers that protect the body from viruses and other dangerous
enemies, like Rhino.
Once news traveled to Body, it started to feel anxious of the attack that was to come,
and its temperature started to rise.
Body knew its friend, fever, could bring on the heat to help fight Rhino and give the
immune cells energy, making them stronger and more powerful.
These immune cell soldiers unleashed all kinds of special attacks on Rhino.
Days into the attack, the immune cell soldiers slowly manage to prevent Rhino from turning
more of Body’s own cells against it.
The soldiers also manage to kill some of Rhino’s troops.
Sadly, this attack also weakened some of Body’s own cells.
Some were destroyed or damaged by Rhino.
Body: We need to attack Rhino and his army with everything we’ve got!
Mouth!
Nose!
We need your help to build walls of mucus and snot.
When Rhino’s team attacks, you need to sneeze and cough to release all the mucus and get
Rhino and his troops out of here!
Manuela: As the days went by, Rhino only grew more aggressive, causing body to experience
a slight ache.
Body was growing tired.
Rhino was determined to make Body its permanent home.
The war went on for three weeks, and although body started to become very tired, it noticed
Rhino’s troops start to slowly shrink in number.
There was hope!
Body could almost see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Body: Maybe we can win after all!
We’re almost at the end!
Manuela: Body notices Rhino slowly start to retreat but isn’t convinced that the danger
of Rhino will be gone forever.
At the end of the third week, Rhino is defeated by Body and all of its army.
Rhino goes on its merry, sad way in search of another home.
While Body and its troops are happy for winning, they are also left to pick up the broken pieces
and rebuild their home after the long war.
This was a huge lesson that body will never forget.
It will always stay in its memory!
Body promised to make sure that something like this never happens again.
It began making sure that the veteran soldiers who fought this battle were taken care of.
Body needed to make sure they live long lives so that if Rhino, or those like him ever return,
the veterans would know how to defeat them quicker and better in the future.
“Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.”
- Oprah Winfrey Manuela: Thank you for listening friends!
Mr. Khorvash: That was an amazing story, Manuela.
Well done!
Manuela: Thanks sir.
Moustapha gave me the idea after my sister told me about how colds affect the child’s
body.
I’m not a doctor, but Moustapha’s symptoms are similar to what happens when a cold affects
the body.
Unfortunately for Moustapha, scientists say that there is no cure for a cold, but you
can only treat the symptoms.
Advil and Tylenol will be your best friends.
Antoine: I don’t want to get sick.
What do I do?
Manuela: Well here’s a list of things you can do to protect yourself.
Help prevent the spread of the common cold with these helpful tips!
Wash your hands often for at least 20 seconds.
Try singing the ABC’s all the way through!
Scrub using soap and warm water or hand sanitizer if you need to.
Avoid touching your face, especially your eyes, mouth, and nose.
If you’re feeling sick, have a fever, cough, sneeze, runny or stuffy nose, or sore throat,
tell a parent or guardian and stay home from school.
When coughing or sneezing, use a tissue or cough into your bent elbow.
Clean and disinfect surfaces you touch often.
Ask a parent or guardian if you have any questions.
They may take you to a doctor if you need one.
Stay safe and healthy!
For more information, ask a parent, guardian, or doctor!