Let’s hope.
We could certainly stop the plague now, because we have antibiotics. We now have a few anti-virals, too, but they don’t all work against flu.
There is, indeed, a world of difference between 1918 and today, the greatest probably being that of modern travel and the ability to spread contagion with great effectiveness.
Recall that 1918 was still largely horse-and-buggy time in most of the world, and that awful bug still managed to spread around the globe and kill whole families practically overnight, even in rural areas.
I hope we’re over-reacting and that this is just an odd spring flu that fades quickly.
see my number 40 which was partially in response to your comments as well...