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WORD OF THE DAY

An antiviral medication is one used to treat a patient with a serious case of a virus like the flu or Ebola.

To be prescribed an antiviral drug, a patient has to be pretty sick. If you get a mild case of the flu you don't need this kind of medication, but someone who's so ill they end up in the hospital may be given antivirals. Just like the word implies, antivirals attack certain viruses; they do this by boosting the immune system or blocking receptors so the virus can't attach to healthy cells.


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