The outbreak of this influenza virus, also known as Spanish flu, spread with astonishing speed around the world, overwhelming India, and reaching Australia and the remote Pacific islands.

New drugs, such as zanamivir (Relenza), can inhibit the ability of the flu virus to proliferate by blocking the activity of the neuraminidase enzyme. When the Spanish flu pandemic hit, doctors ...

As the world’s most infamous flu pandemic (often referred to as the Spanish flu) raged from 1918–1920, scientists had very few tools available to help them combat or understand the disease.