My problem with that is we are so far advanced beyond 1918 that I do not believe even a similar virus could have the same effect today. There have been many flu pandemics since 1918, but we don't talk about them because only 1918 was all that bad. This is likely to be another outbreak that is forgotten in under a decade, just like SARS and Avian Flu from the last decade that everyone thought was going to wipe out civilization.

As for those 20- and 30-something Mexicans, I'm sorry, but that's not the US. While Mexico has reasonably good healthcare, their pollution is far worse, and that means immune systems are much more likely to be weak, and sanitation is not as good. When young adult Americans or western Europeans start dying in significant num,bers this can be revisited, not because the Mexicans do not count, but because they are less significant indicators of virulence.

Now, on-topic, I telecommute from a tiny farming town in CT to Portland, ME, so on a regular basis I see my grandmother and three cats. Needless to say, this outbreak has not really affected me yet.