Swine flu claimed eight lives in Mexico (one of whom made it to Texas for treatment before succumbing) this week and, as of Friday morning, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed more than 300 cases around the globe -- more than 100 in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control. But it is the media coverage and government action that is perhaps the biggest story. The Associated Press is predicting "two million dead," while the WHO raised its alert level to the second highest Phase 5, which doesn't quite match the number of confirmed cases given that various influenza strains kill 36,000 Americans each year. It seems that what is spreading is a pandemic of fear.

Dr. Christopher Olsen, a molecular virologist who studies swine flu at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine in Madison, advises, "Let's not lose track of the fact that the normal seasonal influenza is a huge public health problem that kills tens of thousands of people in the U.S. alone and hundreds of thousands around the world."

Meanwhile, there isn't even consensus on what the flu should be called. Some have suggested "Mexican flu" since that was the point of origin and other major flu outbreaks have been labeled accordingly. Others disagree. "This really isn't swine flu. It's H1N1 virus," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. Indeed, U.S. officials are calling the scare the "2009 H1N1 virus outbreak." Catchy, isn't it?

As for the government, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who had been running the show in the absence of a Health and Human Services Secretary, was talking about mass immunizations. Now the controversial Kathleen Sebelius, confirmed by the Senate Tuesday as HHS head, will be taking the reins. Naturally, the Obama administration is following the dictum, iterated by chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, "Never allow a crisis to go to waste. They are opportunities to do big things." The first big thing was to ask Congress for $1.5 billion to "support our ability to monitor and track this virus."

Perhaps the Obama regime hasn't heard of the panic of '76. A recent Salon.com article described the hoopla surrounding a possible epidemic of swine flu that year. The Ford administration, in an attempt to restore confidence in the government after Watergate, rushed through a mass immunization plan. The panic led to mayhem. When Ford asked the Democrat-controlled Congress for $135 million to finance a vaccine, they responded by tacking on $1.8 billion to the bill for their pet welfare and environmental causes. In addition, the bill included indemnity for drug companies who had been asked to develop this vaccine in record time.

In the end, there was no epidemic -- one death from the virus, but more than 30 from the vaccination. Yet Democrats were able to push their agenda behind the smokescreen of a health crisis. Sound familiar?