ABSTRACT
The past decade has witnessed significant advances in the therapy of human viral infections, particularly those caused by herpes simplex and varicella-zoster viruses. These advances were once only a basis for discussion among clinical and biomedical investigators; however, they have now been applied by the practicing physician to the management of viral diseases, resulting in improved patient care. For the most part, these therapeutic improvements were first achieved in treatment of adult viral infections. More recently, therapy has been proven efficacious for herpesvirus and certain respiratory tract viral infections in children. Advances in treatment were adopted, at least at the outset, for severe and life-threatening diseases, but, more recently, less severe mucocutaneous herpes simplex virus infections have been found amenable to therapy.
