Well my dear friend this was not in India. But America. I remember watching about this hysteria on Carl Sagan's Cosmos. They had organized parties all over California as they thought they were going to die in some days as the Earth would be finished. And so it was better to have fun, make confessions etc. So there.
Coming back. Well don't you think there's a difference between 1910 and now? If you move the clock back a little. I think witches were pretty common in America and Europe (and related hysteria in towns and cities where they were "located") too don't you think? Or take the hysteria after the launch of the Sputnik. People thought they were just going to be bombed every second day.
And suicides weren't because it was said Halleys' tail had cyanide. It was because of this: Comets have had a history IN ALL cultures to invoke some sort of fear. The only difference is that there are still a lot of people in Eastern countries who are backward. That's the only difference. In Europe not very long ago, comets could lead to executions. In places like India and China there are still a lot of people who hold on to such beliefs that the gods are angry.
And when I said about culture I meant that there are hundreds of cultures and such rituals are more prevalent in some of them than the others. So generalizing would be a sin.
About flu. I have not been to America since the outbreak of the flu so I can't say. I think in India and China some of it is necessary. A lot of people live in slums, and these are more likely to catch the virus once it has spread. Right now it is confined to people who came in touch with people coming from abroad. If there isn't a certain degree of hysteria, there could be catastrophe when these poor people start getting it.
And I agree with your point about the media created frenzy, but I again believe that it's the same in all countries if you normalize.