The Next Big One could very well be flu. Greg Dwyer knew this, which is why he mentioned it. I’m sure you don’t need reminding that the 1918–1919 flu killed about 50 million people; and there’s still no magical defense, no universal vaccine, no foolproof and widely available treatment, to guarantee that such death and misery don’t occur again. Even during an average year, seasonal flu causes at least 3 million cases and more than 250,000 fatalities worldwide. So influenza is hugely dangerous, at best. At worst, it would be apocalyptic.
