No one knows where or when the next influenza pandemic will begin, making immunization and surveillance important every year. At the VA, continued efforts to refine and expand the influenza vaccination program and invest in improved surveillance systems provide increasing protection for the nation’s most vulnerable veterans.

Interferon-Gamma Release Assays, revolutionary new blood tests that screen for tuberculosis are far more efficient than the old skin tests, which are notorious for inconsistencies in patient compliance and clinical interpretation as well as false positives for those vaccinated for TB. VA is beginning to expand the usage of the new tests, especially with the availability of new options.

The number of veterans treated at the VA for bipolar disorder increased more than 37% in an eight-year period. Clinicians are challenged both by the rapid increase in cases and the high side-effect profile of lithium, the first-line treatment for the disorder.

With 240 deployed servicemembers losing an arm or leg in 2011 alone, the need for better prosthetics is an increasing challenge for the U.S. military. Now, testing involves new devices controlled by brain signals, making them more like natural limbs than ever.