How much panic before it's excessive?

Interesting quote from a World Health Organization (that's the United Nations outreach for ineffectual postering about medical issues) official now that three people have died in Turkey.

The World Health Organisation sought to allay panic following the death of three people in Turkey from bird flu, although it admitted the disease was now "at the doors of Europe."

The disease has been "contained in one province" in the east of Turkey and "there is no need for excessive panic," WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said in Geneva.

Perhaps a little panic is okay. Maybe even a righteous amount of panic.

Excessive is right out.

An earlier report we read said that the child who died was one of several who were playing with the severed heads of chickens that had been slaughtered, as if this were a normal rite of childhood in the province. Maybe WHO ought to do a little educational work to teach people that letting their kids play with dead animal parts might have bad consequences.