When compared to sars and the bird flu, how bad is this swine flu right now?

Not bad: The swine flu 2 years ago (2009) was quite bad at first but, given the rapid development of a vaccine, infection control, and aggressive treatment, it came under control nicely. This year (2011-12) the influenza outbreak has been mild to date (december 27). There are no current sars or bird flu outbreaks in north america.

Not bad: The U.S. Public health emergency for 2009 h1n1 influenza expired on 06/23/10. On 08/10/10, the world health organization (who) declared an end to the 2009 h1n1 pandemic globally. Cdc recommends a yearly flu vaccination. 2010-2011 seasonal influenza vaccine will protect against an h3n2 virus, an influenza b virus, and the 2009 h1n1 virus that emerged last year to cause the global pandemic.