A swine flu retrospective

Anyone out there remember these ads?

At the time they ran, one person had died from the swine flu. And yet President Gerald Ford, under the advice of health officials, persuaded Congress to fund a grand national inoculation program to head off a pandemic, which included these public service ads. Unfortunately, the shots ended up killing many more people. (Read an account of it here.)
The current situation may not be the same. This time, 149 people have died in Mexico. The cases so far on this side of the border have been strangely mild.
That’s the maddening thing about pandemics. You can’t predict them. It’s good to be ready. It’s smart to take precautions. But remember, on average 40,000 people die in the United States every year from the flu.
All I’ve heard for the last several days is “Flu! Flu! Flu!” Let’s keep some perspective, people. Don’t let the headlines lead you to panic. If history is a guide, getting too far ahead of the curve can sometimes cause needless harm.