Combating the Threat of Pandemic Influenza

Drug discovery for influenza antivirals Priorities for combating pandemic influenza include rapid detection and identification, the quick administration of available drugs to treat the infection, the development of new antivirals, and the development of vaccines. Since lead-time may be required to produce an effective vaccine, antivirals would serve as a key first line of defense in containing an outbreak. Diverse antivirals, acting through different mechanisms, would help stay the development of resistant viruses. Thus, drug discovery for influenza antivirals is an important public health-related endeavor. With chapters contributed by leading international specialists, t…