Old and new ways to combat human influenza virus

Influenza viruses have been with mankind for at least 300 years, with epidemics occurring every few years and pandemics every few decades. They replicate extremely rapidly in the host therefore demanding a fast and effective antiviral response. Despite the availability of seasonal trivalent vaccines and antivirals, which are effective for most recipients, influenza remains serious disease. The reason for that is a grand capacity of the influenza virus to adapt to new environmental conditions and evolutionary pressure. Vaccination remains the main protective measure against influenza for general population. The first vaccine was administered in the 1940s and ever since the influenza vaccine has provided tremendous relief against influenza infections. However, time has revealed the ultimate limit of the vaccine and the call for its reinvention has now come. The purpose of this review is to give a brief but comprehensive overview of the currently used prophylactic and therapeutic approaches against influenza and the new most promising developments in this field