Chemotherapy of respiratory viruses: prospects and challenges.

Billions of people are infected with respiratory viruses annually. Infants and young children, the elderly, immunocompromised individuals and those debilitated by other diseases or nutritional deficiencies are most at risk for serious disease. There are few vaccines available for use against these viruses, and even where there are (influenza, measles and adenovirus), infections remain common. The continued prevalence of respiratory virus infections has lead to renewed efforts to find safe agents effective against the most medically important respiratory viruses: influenza, respiratory syncytial, parainfluenza, measles, rhino- and adenovirus. Copyright 1999 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.