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David M. Weinstock, MD; Gianna Zuccotti, MD, MPH

JAMA. 2006;295:934-936. Published online February 2, 2006 (doi:10.1001/jama.295.8.jed60009).

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

The global burden of influenza infection is staggering. In a typical year, approximately 20% of the world's population is infected and more than a half million individuals die of influenza-associated complications.¹ During influenza pandemics, morbidity and mortality are catastrophic—20 million to 100 million individuals died in the 1918 influenza pandemic, 2 million in the 1955 pandemic, and 1 million in the 1968 pandemic.²

Vaccination is the primary means for preventing influenza infections. In addition, 2 classes of drugs are currently available for treatment and prophylaxis: the adamantanes (amantadine and rimantadine) and the neuraminidase inhibitors (zanamivir and oseltamivir). Adamantanes are effective against susceptible strains of influenza A virus, whereas neuraminidase inhibitors are effective against susceptible strains of both A and B virus. All 4 agents can reduce the duration of infection by 1 to 2 days if treatment is initiated within 48 hours . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Author Affiliations: Division of Infectious Diseases (Drs Weinstock and Zuccotti) and Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation (Dr Weinstock), Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY. Dr Zuccotti is also Contributing Editor, JAMA.

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