Leaders in business, health care, law enforcement, government and education will gather in Richmond to plan for the possibility of a global flu crisis. According to a primer from the Virginia Department of Health, a flu pandemic of medium severity could bring the following:

In the United States:

• 89,000 to 207,000 deaths

• 314,000 and 734,000 hospitalizations

• 18 to 42 million outpatient visits

• 20 to 47 million people becoming sick

• An economic impact ranging between $71.3 and $166.5 billion

In Virginia:

• 2,700 to 6,300 deaths

• 12,000 to 28,500 hospitalizations

• 575,000 to 1.35 million outpatient visits

• 1.08 million to 2.52 million people becoming sick

The Virginia Pandemic Influenza Summit is Thursday. To get up to speed on the issue, one place to start is this Web site maintained by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.