In an article published in the Sept. 18 print edition and online, titled “H1N1 vaccine may worsen symptoms, study finds,” the author wrote that ferrets in a study were issued an H1N1 vaccine before being exposed to the H1N1 virus, after which they experienced worse symptoms than ferrets that did not receive the H1N1 vaccine.
However, this is incorrect. The ferrets were injected with the 2008-09 seasonal flu vaccine. This mistake, plus further misinterpretations of the procedure and conclusion of the study, resulted in the misrepresentation of Professor Nahid Bhadelia. Students interviewed in the story were misinformed before giving their input. As a result, the story misrepresented all those involved.
