Viral diseases pose a significant threat to Soldier health, readiness, and lethality. Especially in training and field environments, Soldiers live and work in close proximity, allowing pathogens to spread with ease. Some diseases are commonplace at home station, like influenza; others, like dengue, are prevalent where Soldiers deploy.
WRAIR's Viral Disease branch (VDB) works in collaboration with academia, industry, and other government agencies to detect and eliminate viral threats to Soldiers by supporting disease surveillance around the world to inform force health protection decisions, identify targets for new preventives and treatments, and develop arbovirus and respiratory virus vaccines.
VDB quickly identifies and responds to emerging and existing viral threats to keep Soldiers in the fight. This unique infrastructure is organized to monitor viral epidemics and outbreaks throughout the world, provide early warnings, and develop products such as approved vaccines for influenza, Japanese encephalitis, adenovirus and hepatitis A.
