Like bacteria, viruses are adept at developing resistance to drugs. 8.2 Viruses are different from bacteria in some important respects.
Viruses replicate very fast, giving frequent opportunities for resistant mutants to be generated.
As Dr Pillay explained, it is therefore necessary to use antivirals in such a way as to suppress the viral population as much as possible. The PHLS Antiviral Susceptibility Reference Unit in Birmingham, of which he is the Head, was set up in 1996.