Physical approaches based on irradiation provide advances for the prevention and treatment of viral infections, while recognizing that certain chemical inactivation techniques demonstrate significant effectiveness alongside physical methods. By generating resonant vibrations of complete virus particles, which are in the GHz range and quite high compared to that of human cells, viruses can be inactivated. Therefore,
exposure to ultrasound waves or non-thermal microwaves with a suitable resonant frequency oscillating electric field holds the potential to neutralize the virus particle with no damage to human. The deactivation mechanism could be a result of the mechanical effect or oxidation stress, and in this article, we discuss the elucidation of these effects on the virus’ structure. We also explore the current state and future prospects of the anti-viral methods based on acoustic cavitation via ultrasound and non-thermal microwave, addressing critical needs in virology.