HOUSTON – (April 2, 2010) – Ambassadors for Texas Children’s Hospital hosted their first major event of 2010 with an exclusive presentation on pandemics past and future from one of the hospital’s leading infectious disease experts. Dr. Gordon E. Schutze, professor of pediatrics at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, presented “Current and Future Pandemics: What you need to know to protect your family” to members of the hospital’s Ambassadors group during a March 30, 2010 luncheon at the Omni Hotel Houston. See more information on Ambassadors for Texas Children's Hospital.

Schutze’s presentation discussed myths, facts and preparation strategies behind the pandemic (H1N1 or “swine”) influenza. The presentation opened with a history lesson on recent pandemics, including the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 to 1919, which killed between 21 million and 50 million people worldwide, and the 2009 H1N1 outbreak that, to date, has resulted in 12,000 deaths in the United States. He also compared and contrasted the pandemic influenza to two other respiratory infections that have been in the press recently, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Avian Influenza, more commonly known as bird flu.

This event, exclusively for Ambassador members, is one of four events that will be presented this year. Upcoming Ambassador events include:

• Family Reach-Out Day and Book Drive at the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center
• Physician Focus Cocktail Reception featuring tips from Dr. Joe Garcia-Prats and his wife of 36 years, Cathy, on strengthening families and marriages
• Presentation by Dr. Doug Ris on neuroscience discoveries that cast new light on child and adolescent development and the capacities and adaptability of the human brain