Mark Davis is Associate Professor in the School of Social Sciences at Monash University. He has published and co-edited books on the socio-cultural aspects of epidemics, including Sex, Technology and Public Health (Palgrave), HIV Treatment and Prevention Technologies in International Perspective (Palgrave), and Disclosure in Health and Illness (Routledge). Davina Lohm is a researcher, working on Australian Research Council Discovery Projects on pandemic influenza and antimicrobial resistance. Her focus is on how people understand and manage their personal health circumstances, taking into consideration global, national, and local health events and policy frameworks, as well as their personal life circumstances and biographies. She has published widely in leading health journals including, Body & Society, Health, Risk & Society, Sociological Inquiry, Journal of Health Psychology, and Health.

• Acknowledgements Chapter 1. IntroductionChapter 2. Pandemic tales Chapter 3. 'Be Alert, Not Alarmed' Chapter 4. Contagion Chapter 5. ImmunityChapter 6. Vulnerabilities Chapter 7. News Media Hype? Chapter 8. 'The boy who cried wolf' and other post-trust storiesChapter 9. Conclusion Appendix: Participants Who Appear in the TextReferences

Mark Davis is Associate Professor in the School of Social Sciences at Monash University. He has published and co-edited books on the socio-cultural aspects of epidemics, including Sex, Technology and Public Health (Palgrave), HIV Treatment and Prevention Technologies in International Perspective (Palgrave), and Disclosure in Health and Illness (Routledge). Davina Lohm is a researcher, working on Australian Research Council Discovery Projects on pandemic influenza and antimicrobial resistance. Her focus is on how people understand and manage their personal health circumstances, taking into consideration global, national, and local health events and policy frameworks, as well as their personal life circumstances and biographies. She has published widely in leading health journals including, Body & Society, Health, Risk & Society, Sociological Inquiry, Journal of Health Psychology, and Health.

• Acknowledgements Chapter 1. IntroductionChapter 2. Pandemic tales Chapter 3. 'Be Alert, Not Alarmed' Chapter 4. Contagion Chapter 5. ImmunityChapter 6. Vulnerabilities Chapter 7. News Media Hype? Chapter 8. 'The boy who cried wolf' and other post-trust storiesChapter 9. Conclusion Appendix: Participants Who Appear in the TextReferences