Some day...

...my Prince, er... flu... will come...

The problem with dire warnings, though, is that the complacency scientists are in part trying to break may be caused by the very studies they tout – the crying wolf syndrome.

The avian bird flu predictions in 2005 included estimates of millions dead. Worldwide, 282 people died.

In Tuesday's report, released by President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, the 90,000 deaths figure was couched as a "possibility" rather than a prediction.

Annually, about 36,000 Americans die of the regular flu, according to CDC estimates.

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