i'm not saying we shouldn’t be cautious and take the right precautions, but we shouldn't be alarmed about it either. the scaremongering from SARS and bird flu was beyond ridiculous. 106 deaths is sad. but the flu kills 660,000 people each year. that’s what we should be alarmed about.
As someone living close to the action, SARS and Birdflu wasn't scaremongering. The lock down, quarantine, enforced segregation of workplaces etc went a long way to containing the spread.
What you need to remember is that these are races between the virus spreading and the scientists to create a vaccine. The aim of the precautions is to slow down the spread long enough to find a cure/preventative.
As for the flu, I have 2 flu shots every year, as do the family, and I can't remember the last time any of us caught the flu, despite friends and family going down with it. The issue there is getting the flu shots available to everyone. It's a different problem.