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Guillain-Barré Syndrome from The Flu Vaccine
Our attorneys help those who have suffered Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) following the seasonal flu vaccine or influenza vaccine.
Other neurological injuries associated with the vaccine are chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM). These conditions are autoimmune disorders causing damage to the nervous system.
GBS is an acute paralysis caused by dysfunction in the peripheral nervous system (i.e., the nervous system outside the brain and spinal cord). Subtypes of GBS include acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP), Fisher syndrome or Miller-Fisher syndrome (FS or MFS), acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN), and acute motor and sensory neuropathy (AMSAN). While GBS is usually associated with the flu vaccine, it may also give rise to a vaccine injury claim following some of the other covered vaccines.
Have You Suffered Guillain-Barré Syndrome from The Flu Vaccine?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), when a person is first experiencing GBS, the symptoms will include varying degrees of weakness or tingling sensations in the legs. In many instances the symmetrical weakness and abnormal sensations spread to the arms and upper body. Later, these symptoms can increase in intensity until certain muscles cannot be used at all.
Then, in the most severe cases, the person is almost totally paralyzed, and sometimes require a ventilator to assist with breathing. While many persons recover from GBS, some are left with permanent conditions or impairments, and almost all suffer some type of loss that may be compensated by the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP).
Have You Suffered Guillain-Barré Syndrome from Another Vaccine?
Other vaccines covered by the VICP have been associated with GBS. For example, the Program has recently compensated persons who have suffered GBS following the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine Prevnar 13 (PCV13).
Criteria for A GBS Claim
Most claims based upon GBS caused by the flu vaccine involve the onset of these first symptoms anywhere between 3 days to 6 weeks, and sometimes longer. To recover, GBS or its residual effects must meet one of three criteria: (1) lasted at least 6 months after the date of the vaccination, (2) resulted in you being in a hospital where you were required to have surgery, or (3) resulted in death.