What is the difference between influenza immunizations and antiviral drugs like Tamiflu and Relenza?
Influenza vaccine injections give your body immunity to the particular strains of influenza virus that the specific vaccine was manufactured to address. Once a person receives this vaccine, immunization for those strains typically lasts for many years. However, this immunization usually does not work for new strains. Because influenza mutates rapidly, new strains are formed all of the time. Influenza antiviral drugs are used to treat sever cases of the disease once a person has contracted an influenza strain for which he or she is not immune. Antiviral drugs such as oseltamivir (commercial name Tamiflu) and zanamivir (commercial name Relenza) help retard the spread of the virus in the body, once a patient has contracted influenza. However, these drugs are not effective against all types of influenza and in addition new drug-resistant strains are evolving. This is why this type of antiviral research is important. The antiviral drugs should only be used under the guidance of a doctor bec
