Return of the Dragon: Battle Covid-25 with nature's own first line of defense

We have known for about 20 years that the first line of defense against respiratory viruses is interferon lambda, a natural protein produced in the throat, nose and upper respiratory tract (trachea and bronchi).

- DR AJAY GUPTA

Is Covid-19 making a comeback in 2025 as a variant of the original SARS-CoV-2 virus? Are we seeing the beginning of another pandemic? We may have a narrow window of opportunity to deploy the information gained during the recent 2020-2024 pandemic to contain and abort the 2025 outbreak before it balloons into another pandemic.

We have known for about 20 years that the first line of defense against respiratory viruses is interferon lambda—a natural protein produced in the throat, nose and upper respiratory tract (trachea and bronchi). Interferon lambda (Interferon-λ) alerts the patient's body defenses and stimulates many genes that help fight off the virus by slowing its multiplication and its spread down into the lungs. Interferon lambda, the first defender, helps contain the virus in the nose and throat and protects the lungs. This is how the body's own defenses contain most respiratory viruses including the common cold virus so that the result is a throat and nose infection and not a pneumonia.