Potential chemotherapeutic targets for Japanese encephalitis: current status of antiviral drug development and future challenges

摘要

Introduction: Japanese encephalitis (JE) remains a public health threat in Asia. Although several vaccines have been licensed, similar to 67,900 cases of the disease are estimated to occur annually, probably because the vaccine coverage is low. Therefore, effective antiviral drugs are required to control JE. However, no licensed anti-JE drugs are available, despite extensive efforts to develop them.