I think the problem is that the west has people in power with living memory of a pandemic - Swine Flu - which was widely criticised as a complete overreaction,

I think the problem is that the west has people in power with living memory of a pandemic - Swine Flu - which was widely criticised as a complete overreaction, to the point that there's no such category as an official pandemic any more. The reaction here was a significant counter-reaction to the swine flu overreaction.