Influenza update 2018–2019: 100 years after the great pandemic

Four influenza pandemics, starting with the historic 1918 pandemic, have killed thousands of people around the world. Vaccination, still the most important means of pre-venting influenza, is currently recommended yearly for all people age 6 months and older, with a goal of vaccinating 80% of all Americans and 90% of at-risk populations. Neuraminidase inhibitors are underused, and a new drug with a different mechanism of action, baloxavir marboxil, is expected to be approved soon in the United States.