What is the primary action of an antiviral medication?

The primary action of an antiviral medication is to prevent the virus from replicating. Antiviral drugs are designed to interfere with a virus's ability to multiply within the host's cells. By targeting specific stages of the viral life cycle, these medications inhibit the virus's ability to produce new viral particles, allowing the body’s immune system to control and eliminate the existing viral infection more effectively.

While some treatments may work to subdue the virus or enhance the immune response, the main mechanism of antiviral drugs revolves around halting replication. This prevention of replication is crucial because it reduces the overall viral load in the body, which can help mitigate symptoms and improve recovery time.

In contrast, merely killing the virus outright is not typically how antiviral medications function; they're more about managing the viral life cycle rather than direct destruction. Additionally, while boosting immune cells, like killer T cells, can play a role in viral response, it is not the primary action of antiviral medications themselves.