Plus I think the media is harping it alot. It is akin to the murder stats.
Crime is down sharply in the past 30 years, but REPORTING about the crime is up way more. People are safer, but feel less safe because they know more about it.
Unless the spanish flu outbreak is relived, you are far more likly to die in a car accident, or some other reality of daily life (slipping and falling, drinking too much….) than the swine flu. But that isnt a good story. We do a terrible job of dealing with the big everyday risks than we do the random scary ones.