From the preface:

The public, scientific community, and policy makers must understand that the threat of an influenza pandemic is real and imminent. To this end, we have republished a section of the Microbial Threats report entitled: “Influenza: A Case in Point” in an effort to educate readers about the ecology of influenza and facilitate an informed response.

In addition, we have included the executive summary of the report that has key information about the factors that lead to the emergence of microbial threats and the recommendations of the committee for implementing an effective and appropriate response.