Minnesota's top flu fighter balances the worst-case scenario with plans and hopes for avoiding it...

Dr. Ruth Lynfield knows the numbers sound terrifying: 30,000 dead. 170,000 hospitalized. More than a million people infected-all in Minnesota alone.But she doesn't want people to get the wrong idea. As state epidemiologist, it's her job to lay out all the possibilities for the next wave of swine flu, including the worst-case scenario. Now, with summer winding down and students returning to school, she's out to make sure that Minnesota avoids the worst case and gets safely through the first worldwide flu pandemic in 40 years....

Picture Left:Dr. Ruth Lynfield at the Public Health Virology Laboratory in St. Paul: “The prudent thing to do is plan as best you can.”(David Joles/Star Tribune)