For your review:  A presentation developed by Marshall and Helen.  It is an excellent presentation with good information, but please note an exception to normal flu and an update*.  Keep in mind this was developed for a college biology class so some of the information is tailored for their level of knowledge and understanding, and is probably not applicable to many community-based populations. 

*Slide 4 -- Regular seasonal influenza does present a U curve on the contagion continuum, with the risers reflecting the highest rates of infection in the very young and geriatric populations.  Persons with compromised immune systems are also very susceptible, but many of those fall in the young/old categories. 

However, H5N1, the strain of avian influenza now on the move, presents a W curve of contagion, with the middle riser reflecting the fact that this strain targets normally healthy older teens and young/middle adults, with the highest mortality rate recorded for flu.  H5N1 mortality rate is now ~60%, with ~90% being patients in that age range.  This characteristic is a major component of the projection that H5N1 is 'the big one'.  The Spanish Flu strain also targeted the healthy young adult, and DNA testing has shown that it was an avian flu extremely similar to H5N1.

*Slide 8 -- an expert at the Texas Flu Summit projected that a pandemic would transport globally in 2 ways.  
      1.   H5N1 is an extremely contagious and virulant virus that could march across Asia & Europe into US in as little as 8 weeks through normal contagion routes
      2.   A simultaneous SARS-type transference could occur via jet travel and cause intercontinental infection in less than 24 hours, with infection blanketing the unfortunate receptor country in a very short time.

Stay tuned for a fact sheet that will contain some very basic information, some bad & some good news, and some temperance to calm the waters.