Imagine you wake up tomorrow to the news there has been an outbreak within a mile or two of your house.  As you consider the situation it sinks in that these people were infectious for 2 weeks before they got sick.  You might have shopped at the same stores, gotten gas at the same station.  Then you realize that you or a close family member are in the high risk for death category because they drink heavily, smoke, or have diabetes.  Does it still feel like something you can ignore as just the flu?  And that the death rate, even if it is as low as 1 percent is 2-3 times more than the flu.