SCMP calls for 'United Front'

Some words in China (even when they are use in English) have an additional meaning that should make observers like us rather careful. Central governments of large countries like China do have many priorities and some of these coded words mean that we have to take this more serious than other priorities.
So when Chinese state-owned media call for a 'United Front' I tend to struggle through rather boring announcements, since this refers to the Chinese call for unity, against the splittists from Taiwan or wherever they might come from. It means serious business.
When the South China Morning Post described this morning the fight against the chicken flu as a 'United Front', I got confused. Is the paper in a new phase of complying with governmentel jargon in the mainland? Are they employing more people from the China Daily? And how important is the struggle against our feathered enemies? Is the country breaking down?
I know times are changing and this is not the time to get upset about the way sayings are being used, but, please: no united front anymore, unless it is really serious.

How serious is this flu according to people in Asia? Not there at the moment and saw that the WHO has raised the orange alert (yes, I'm in the US as you might notice). Is there reason for that?

Update: Just saw where the SCMP got it from: a cultural less sensitive editor must have picked it from the AFP dispatch.