Influenza – A Global Health threat

Influenza is a viral infectious respiratory disease caused by influenza viruses. Disease progression may vary from asymptomatic to fatal. Current estimations show that as many as 120 million people in North America, Western Europe and Japan are infected with influenza viruses each year. The estimates for deaths caused annually by seasonal influenza vary from 500,000 to more than 3.5 million. Influenza viruses are also able to cause serious global outbreaks (pandemics) which are a major acute threat to the public health.

The influenza viruses can readily adapt, causing fast evolvement of resistance to antiviral agents and host immunity creating an acute medical need for new antivirals less prone to viral resistance.