September Post -- Curriculum Review
The most eye-opening lectures thus far for me have been those on antivirals, specifically those that can be used for prophylactic treatment. Growing up, and especially when getting sick in college, I recognized that if I was sick with an unidentified illness, such as random bouts of cold or flu-like symptoms, my best option was usually to go to CVS and get Tylenol (acetaminophen), Advil (ibuprofen), or something else that could treat the symptoms . As a result, learning about how antivirals work to target the virus itself was particularly interesting to me. For example, I was surprised to learn that oseltamivir can be used as prophylactic treatment for influenza, rather than simply treating the symptoms after someone becomes sick. This helped me better understand the distinction between medications that provide symptomatic relief and those that can directly interfere with viral replication or prevent infection from developing. Further, the most enlightening part of the lectures on prop...