The Role of Antivirals in Influenza Treatment and Prevention

A Viral Biorealm page on the family The Role of Antivirals in Influenza Treatment and Prevention

Influenza virus A is the causative agent of seasonal influenza epidemics, and is responsible for thousands of deaths annually in the United States alone. New pandemic strains of influenza can arise via reassortment between human and animal-infecting influenza strains, and these pose an even greater risk to human health. For instance, the 1918 avian flu pandemic killed more than 40 million people worldwide. The recent emergence of several zoonotic influenza strains, including the 2005 H5N1 (“bird flu”) and 2009 H1N1 (“swine flu”), demonstrates the constant threat of a deadly new pandemic. Given the dangers posed by both seasonal and pandemic influenza outbreaks, it is important to continue developing prevention and treatment strategies.

Although annual vaccination programs successfully reduce the impact of seasonal influenza epidemics, these programs have significant limitations. The most obvious drawback is that they are preventative only, and offer no therapeutic use. Furthermore, because it takes time to develop a vaccine to combat a newly emerging strain, vaccination programs are of limited use in preventing the initial spread of a new pandemic. Antiviral drugs are an important complement to vaccination programs, because of both their use in influenza treatment, and their ability to inhibit the spread of new influenza strains. Although several antivirals are available clinically, the emergence of resistance in circulating viral strains highlights the need for the rapid identification of new drug targets and the development of new antiviral agents.

References

Example: Weir, Jerry P. " Genomic Organization and Evolution of the Human Herpesviruses." Virus Genes 16.1 (1998): 85-93.

Page authored for BIOL 375 Virology, September 2010