Swine Flu - Should I really be worried?

The hot topic of the last 10 days or so has been the doom of the human race due the outbreak of the swine flu virus. "They" say the outbreak started in Mexico and has spread to the other parts of the world, including our beloved U.S., threatining to become a pandemic. My question is: should we really be THIS worried about this illness?

In my unexpert opinion, I have to say no. You have to look at it on the grand scale that is the entire world, and the amount of reported cases of swine flu is a tiny, tiny fraction of the global population. Also take into account the mortality rate of this thing. There have been minimum deaths in regards to this virus outside of Mexico (0?), where the virus was first discovered. Precautionary steps have also been taken by governments worldwide, which is part of the reason everyone is freaking out in the first place.

One of the main reasons this has become such an issue is due to the world we live in now. We have never had so much information readily available at our fingertips. The 24/7 news cycle we experience can "fuel the flame" in many aspects of our life, and this is one of those times.

However, aside from the panic, this is one of those situations where endless information is beneficial. We know how to take steps to reduce exposure to catching this thing, and I have also learned that production on a vaccine to the virus is being worked on. There are medications for swine flu you can take once you catch the virus that have proven effective too.

Moral of the story, I think we are overreacting a bit. We have things in place to counter it, and are doing so. I think its time we moved on with our lives. Oink oink. I mean, have a nice day.