Prevention Influenza is a serious medical problem for which only limited curative treatment is available. Symptomatic treatment can be adopted to alleviate the distress caused by mild cases. Several influenza-specific antiviral drugs are available for preventing or treating influenza. A viruses but not influenza B viruses. They can be used for treatment and prophylaxis of influenza.
Neuraminidase inhibitors are a new class of antiviral drugs that inhibit influenza A and B viruses.
Recently, neuraminidase inhibitors have been approved in some countries for the treatment of uncomplicated influenza in subjects ill since less than 48 hours. However, they are not a substitute for vaccination. Immunoprophylaxis with inactivated vaccine remains the principal means for reducing influenza-related morbidity and death. Vaccination Unlike some other vaccine-preventable diseases, the changing nature of the influenza virus, the global endemicity of the viruses and the persistence of their animal reservoirs makes influenza an unsuitable target for eradication. However, vaccines against the disease have been available for 50 years and the existence of a global epidemiological surveillance network ensures the efficacy of vaccination programmes.