well - yes and no.
the World Health Organization has in fact issued a level 5 alert - so its not all just media hype. The WHO is in fact claiming a worldwide pandemic is imminent- and governments around the world are in fact reacting to the threat.
and there are some key differences this year - as compared to regular seaonal outbreaks of the flu.
In normal years, although most influenza infection is in children, the serious morbidity and mortality is almost entirely among elderly people with underlying chronic disease. that is not case here. this flu seems to be killing normal healthy people by turning their immune systems against them. that is a little more alarming and seems to mimic the 1918 model.
but - on the other hand - the fact that the WHO is ready to go to a stage 6 alert just means the illness is pandemic. it does not mean the virus itself is any more or less deadly than past viruses. it just means it spreads faster - people do not have immunity to it - so it cannot be stopped.
if this is the case it COULD be very bad - and this is not all just hysteria.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it has been estimated that in the absence of any control measures such as vaccination and drugs, a “medium-level†influenza pandemic in the United States could kill 89,000 to 207,000 people, affect from 15 to 35 percent of the U.S. population, and generate associated costs ranging from $71 billion to $167 billion. Another Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate suggested that, in the United States alone, up to 200 million people will be infected, 50 million people will require outpatient care, two million people will be hospitalized, and between 100,000 and 500,000 persons will die. These numbers are significantly higher than the estimates used by the Deparment of Homeland Security. The HHS notes that the death rate associated with the 1918 influenza applied to the current population would produce 1.9 million deaths in the United States and 180 million to 360 million deaths globally.
It is most noteworthy that the "Low" scenario presented by HHS corresponds to the "High" scenario presented by DHS.
but these are alarming numbers.
remember - the mortality rate of the 1918 outbreak was less than 1%. the problem arose from the high number of those infected.
it is ALSO interesting to note that the 1918 flu was very mild and almost disappeared during the summer - only to make a comeback in the fall in a more potent mutated form that killed 100 million people.