Flu Vaccine Injuries

Injuries Caused by Flu Vaccine

Flu vaccinations can cause unexpected, serious injuries requiring emergency treatment and lifelong medical management. Compensation is available for people suffering chronic or debilitating conditions due to administration of an influenza vaccination.

New versions of flu vaccines must be developed every year, because of the vast number of strains of flu virus that cause the illness and the fact that flu viruses can adapt to a vaccine to make the vaccine less effective. Because of this, and the fact that the vaccine is administered every year and not just once in a lifetime, injuries from flu vaccines are some of the most commonly seen vaccine related injuries.

Adverse Effects of the Flu Vaccine

Although serious reactions to flu vaccinations are uncommon, they do happen, and they can cause irreversible health issues. Minor side effects include injection site soreness, low-grade fever, muscle aches, and other symptoms similar to symptoms of influenza. More severe reactions to flu shots involve an allergic response producing breathing difficulties and swollen throat tissues, dangerously high fever, and tachycardia. Emergency treatment is necessary when recipients suffer an allergic reaction like this to the flu vaccine.

Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA)

Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA) is caused by the administration of vaccinations, most often flu vaccinations, in the upper arm.  It is a serious vaccine-related injury that causes inflammation of shoulder structures, such as the bursa, ligaments, and tendons.  Vaccines often cause shoulder pain that can be chronic, severe, and debilitating. Doctors may diagnose a person recently vaccinated with SIRVA when vaccine-related shoulder pain begins within 48 hours of the vaccination, limits shoulder flexibility, and leads to development of more significant shoulder problems like bursitis, tendinosis, or frozen shoulder syndrome. People who have had influenza shots injected into the arm’s deltoid muscle and suffer shoulder problems beginning shortly afterwards are most commonly diagnosed with SIRVA.

Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS)

Characterized by extreme muscle weakness and nerve damage throughout the body, Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) has been reported to affect a few people after receiving the flu vaccination. GBS is the result of the immune system attacking the body’s nerves until they no longer function. Tingling and weakness in the arms and legs are initial signs of GBS. Eventually, nerve damage can paralyze the entire body. Limited treatments exist for Guillain-Barré syndrome, other than managing symptoms and providing round-the-clock care for those with GBS with the hope that the nerves regenerate.

Compensation for Flu Shot Injuries

People seriously or irreparably injured by flu vaccinations may obtain compensation by filing a claim in the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). Unfortunately, there are vaccine-related injuries that do not fall with the VICP’s list of clearly recognized illnesses and injuries.

In other words, if you do not fall within the list of clearly recognized illnesses or injuries, you would have a difficult burden to prove – through medical and scientific theories based upon testimony from well-qualified experts – that your injury was directly caused by the influenza vaccination.   This can be a treacherous path for any individual who does not regularly handle these claims.

Vaccine Injury Attorney at Howie Law PC

A distinguished personal injury law firm, Howie Law PC  represents victims and their families who were seriously injured or even killed by another entity’s negligence. If you think you are suffering from injuries due to the flu shot, contact Howie Law PC today to discuss your case with an experienced vaccine injury lawyer.

We can file your claim with the VICP and expedite movement of the case with our expertise and knowledge of the legal system.  Further, we do not charge fees or expenses to our clients – even up on successful conclusion of the case.  Our fees and expenses are paid by the VICP and not by our client.