What People of Color Need to Know About Primary Immunodeficiency

With a normal immune system, a complex network of tissues, cells, and organs works as a team to keep germs (bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites) out of the body so that you don’t get sick. If any of these germs do sneak in? The immune system triggers the release of special cells that chase down the germ and help get rid of it. When someone has PI, their immune system does not fight off those germs, so they’re more prone to getting sick–repeatedly–from things like pneumonia, ear infections, and the common cold. While some people aren’t diagnosed with PI until they are adults, one in 58,000 babies are born with the life-threatening condition.