I don't think these fears of terrorism or flesh-eating bacteria are irrational. The underlying thread here is about control. You can control your diet and life

I don't think these fears of terrorism or flesh-eating bacteria are irrational. The underlying thread here is about control. You can control your diet and lifestyle, and therefore your chances of dying from heart disease. You can't control whether that guy with the backpack on the subway car is carrying a bomb. It's the same reason why people are way more afraid of flying than driving despite the statistics saying that driving kills way more people. If you or your spouse is behind the wheel, you feel more in control. The whole point of fear is it focuses on unexpected enemies, like predators.