You can look at this strain at several different levels and see some significant problems. Here are a few that are obvious to the media, which is why there is so much coverage and a run on vaccines.
Fujian is H3N2 and this version of Influenza A tends to be nastier overall. The virus has emerged very early, which is why there are so many reports citing the outbreak as something not seen in the recent past. However, if you look at the CDC weekly reports, you will see that Fujian is really taking over. There is little Influenza B and little H1N1 of Influenza A. Almost all of the isolates are Influenza A H3N2. However, even there Fujian is taking over, with 3/4 Fujian-like and 1/4 Panama-like. Most of the deaths seem to be linked to Fujian (the earliest deaths reported are in states known to have high ratios of Fujian/Panama.
The other observation that is being recognized by the media is the deaths in young children with no underlying condition. This is coupled with cases in which the child goes from perfectly health to dead in a few days. These reports have fueled the run on the vaccine, and such a rapid decline in healthy children is unusual.
I have been most impressed by the number and type of mutations in HA. The Fujian strain has changed quite a bit from the Panama strain, which is why warnings have gone out that the current vaccine may leave something to be desired in the effectiveness area. However, the nature of the mutations is also of interest. Many of the mutations have not been seen in recent isolates and some have only been seen in animal isolates.
For young children, these drifts look more like shifts. On top of this is the potential for the vaccine to drive mutations by knocking out the isolates that look more like older strains, and allowing newer versions to predominate. Thus, there are some significant differences between the Fujian-like strains from South Africa in Australia, isolated in 2003 and the emerging Fujian strain isolated in 2002.
All in all, the emergence of Fugian, coupled with the lack of a specific vaccine targeting Fujian, may be evolving into a significant event.