Every year millions of people get the flu, with hundreds of thousands of people hospitalized, and thousands of people dying from flu-related causes.
Flu symptoms typically come on suddenly and include fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea.
The best way to protect against the flu is an annual seasonal flu vaccine. During 2019-2020, an estimated 7.5 million influenza illnesses, 405,000 hospitalizations and 6,300 influenza-associated deaths were prevented by the vaccine.
Learn more about the seasonal flu vaccine.
Most side effects after vaccination are mild. They include:
- Pain, swelling, or redness where the shot was given
- Mild fever
- Chills
- Feeling tired
- Headache
- Muscle and joint aches
Although serious side effects following vaccination are rare, they do occur.
The U.S. government created the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program to reimburse people who suffer a serious injury as the result of a vaccine.
All vaccines administered to children and many vaccines administered to adults are covered by the federal vaccine program, including the seasonal flu vaccine.
Serious injuries that can occur after a seasonal flu vaccine include:
- GBS (Guillain-Barré syndrome)
- SIRVA (Shoulder injury related to vaccine administration)
- CIDP (Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy)
- AIDP (Acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy)
- ADEM (Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis)
- ITP (Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura)
- TP (thrombocytopenic purpura)
- Transverse myelitis (TM)
- Central nervous disorders
- Encephalopathy
- Anaphylaxis
- Brachial neuritis
- Rotator cuff tear
- Vasovagal syncope
- Injection site injury
- Abscess
- Shoulder injury
- Arm injury
The vaccine program will only consider compensation when injuries persist and require ongoing medical care for longer than six months.
If you or your child suffered an illness or injury after a seasonal flu vaccine, contact our office for a free consultation with a member of our experienced vaccine team. Click here to see if you may be eligible to compensation from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.
Our experienced vaccine injury team will discuss your options with you. If you are eligible, we can guide you through the process of applying to the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, and help you get all the compensation you deserve.
We have represented people with vaccine injuries for more than thirty years. We know that these injuries can be life-changing and debilitating.
Our consultation is free, and if you win an award, our fees do not come out of your settlement. Any attorney’s fees are paid separately by the Vaccine Fund. You will never pay a fee for our assistance.