Influenza Treatment

Influenza Treatment

Treatments for influenza include a range of medications and therapies that are used in response to disease influenza. Treatments may either directly target the influenza virus itself; or instead they may just offer relief to symptoms of the disease, while the body's own immune system works to recover from infection.

The two main classes of antiviral drugs used against influenza are neuraminidase inhibitors, such as zanamivir and oseltamivir, or inhibitors of the viral M2 protein, such as amantadine and rimantadine. These drugs can reduce the severity of symptoms if taken soon after infection and can also be taken to decrease the risk of infection. However, viral strains have emerged that show drug resistance to both classes of drug.

Read more about Influenza Treatment:  Symptomatic Treatment, Antiviral Drugs, Drug Resistance, Over-the-counter Medication, Off-label Uses of Other Drugs, Nutritional Supplements and Herbal Medicines

Famous quotes containing the word treatment:

    “Judge Ginsburg’s selection should be a model—chosen on merit and not ideology, despite some naysaying, with little advance publicity. Her treatment could begin to overturn a terrible precedent: that is, that the most terrifying sentence among the accomplished in America has become, “Honey—the White House is on the phone.””
    —Anna Quindlen (b. 1952)