Common Misconceptions about Vaccine Illnesses and Injuries

For individuals who have been diagnosed with vaccine-related illnesses and injuries, finding reliable information can be a challenge. Can a vaccine really make you sick? If so, what are the potential long-term complications? Are you entitled to financial compensation? If so, how do you collect the compensation you deserve? Here, vaccine lawyer Leah V. Durant explains what you need to know: Continue reading

Is It True that I Shouldn’t Get a Flu Shot if I have an Egg Allergy?

In prior years, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have advised that individuals who have egg allergies should consult with their physicians prior to getting the flu shot. This is because certain formulations of the flu shot are manufactured with egg proteins, and exposure to these proteins  has the potential to cause a hypersensitivity reaction among individuals with egg allergies.

In 2018, however, the CDC altered its recommendations regarding the flu shot and individuals who have minor egg allergies. Now, according to the CDC: Continue reading

CDC Publishes Updated Guide for Parents: “Your Child’s First Vaccines”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently published an updated version of its guide for parents titled, Your Child’s First Vaccines: What You Need to Know. In addition to being posted on the CDC’s website, the guide is also available in .PDF format, and the CDC encourages doctors to provide parents with a copy of the guide when they bring their children in for their first immunizations. Continue reading

FAQs: Shoulder Pain and Vaccine Injury Compensation

Shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) is among the most common of all vaccine-related injuries and illnesses. This is due predominantly to the fact that they are caused by vaccination errors rather than vaccine ingredients, which means that all vaccines that are administered via injection into the shoulder have the potential to cause SIRVA. Here are answers to some frequently-asked questions about recovering financial compensation for SIRVA under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP): Continue reading

Flu Shot Recommendations for Pregnancy, Asthma and Other Medical Conditions

While getting vaccinated against influenza is important for everyone, the flu shot can have particular benefits for individuals with certain health conditions. As an infectious disease specialist recently told NPR:

“As we get older, more of us get heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, asthma. . . . Those diseases predispose us to complications of flu — pneumonia, hospitalization or death. We need to make vaccination a routine part of chronic health management.”

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You Have Been Diagnosed with a Vaccine-Related Injury or Illness. What Now?

If you have been diagnosed with Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA), Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), or another vaccine-related injury or illness, understanding the steps to take following your diagnosis will be critical to your health and your financial stability. The treatment options for certain types of vaccine-related injuries and illnesses are limited; and, in order to recover as quickly and fully as possible, you need to make sure you receive appropriate treatment and avoid mistakes that could have negative long-term consequences.

7 Steps to Take Following a Vaccine-Related Injury or Illness Diagnosis

Here are seven steps you can take to protect your health and your legal rights if you have been diagnosed with a vaccine-related injury or illness: Continue reading

10 Key Facts about Vaccine Injury Claims

If you have been diagnosed with a vaccine-related injury, including a Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA), you may be entitled to recover your medical expenses and certain other losses under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). Here are 10 key facts about filing a claim under the VICP:

1. The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) is a Federal Initiative Designed to Protect Individuals Diagnosed with Vaccine Injuries.

The VICP is a federal government program that Congress established in 1988 for the sole purpose of making it easier for individuals diagnosed with vaccine injuries to recover financial compensation. Under the VICP, individuals diagnosed with vaccine injuries can collect money from the government instead of filing a lawsuit against the vaccine manufacturer in court. Continue reading

Shoulder Pain After an MMR Vaccine? It Could Be a Sign of SIRVA

The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine has recently been in the news as a result of reports of measles outbreaks in several parts of the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), outbreaks have been reported in California, Illinois, New York, Texas and Washington, with more cases of measles already confirmed in 2019 (269 as of March 14) than all of 2016 and 2017 combined (206).

While the CDC recommends vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella for most individuals (with limited exceptions for pregnant women and individuals with certain other health conditions), “[d]uring an outbreak is when you see an influx of patients who would otherwise be vaccine-hesitant,” according to an infection control nurse in Washington quoted by CNN. Unfortunately, although getting the MMR vaccine can significantly reduce an individual’s risk of contracting measles, it carries certain risks as well. Continue reading

When is Pain More than Just a Side Effect of a Vaccination?

“Any vaccine can cause side effects.” While all vaccines recommended for use in the U.S. are considered safe for the vast majority of the population (with exceptions for individuals with certain medical conditions), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wants vaccine recipients to be aware that certain side effects are possible.

However, the CDC also warns that, “[a]s with any medicine, there is a very remote chance of a vaccine causing a severe allergic reaction, other serious injury, or death.” Over the past five years, an average of roughly 1,000 people have filed petitions under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). So, while pain may simply be a side effect of a vaccination, it could also be a sign of a potentially-serious injury, and vaccine recipients should have an understanding of when they may need medical attention and when they may be entitled to compensation under the VICP. Continue reading

What Should You Ask and Tell your Doctor Before You Get Vaccinated?

While vaccinations are routine procedures that carry strong recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), they still carry certain risks. Flu shots, tetanus shots, and other CDC-recommended vaccinations are known to cause a variety of injuries and illnesses, and errors during the vaccine administration process can lead to various types of painful and debilitating shoulder injuries. Continue reading