Why There's No Swine Flu Vaccine

The nurse in this 2006 photograph was in the process of administering an intramuscular vaccination in the left shoulder muscle of a young girl. The nurse was pinching the overlying shoulder skin, in order to immobilize the injection site. (Image credit: CDC)

This is the last article in a 4-part LiveScience Special Report on the flu.

Eds Note: Late in the day on April 29, the World Health Organization elevated the alert level on the swine flu outbreak from phase 4 to phase 5, which is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent. Phase 6 is the "pandemic phase."

{{ video="LS_090428_pandemic" title="The Truth about Pandemics " caption="Dr. Marc Siegel explains why the term pandemic often inspires more fear than it should, how the media plays on fears, and how governments often make wrong and costly moves." }}

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Robin Lloyd

Robin Lloyd was a senior editor at Space.com and Live Science from 2007 to 2009. She holds a B.A. degree in sociology from Smith College and a Ph.D. and M.A. degree in sociology from the University of California at Santa Barbara. She is currently a freelance science writer based in New York City and a contributing editor at Scientific American, as well as an adjunct professor at New York University's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program.