I try to keep in mind that the news media often fans the flames. I mean, they have a vested interest in creating a certain level of fear. People watch/read more and they sell more ads, etc.
With that said, there are several well known pandemics that killed millions. The spanish flu near the end of WW-I killed many millions worldwide. And there was the swine flu 50 years later. So pandemics do happen.
I'm taking reasonable precautions - washing hands more frequently, staying off of airplanes for now, etc. That's prudent and easy, so why not?
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”