vaccineinjurylawblog Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis, ADEM, vaccine injury

Vaccine-Related ADEM and Its Symptoms

Some vaccines have been shown to cause what is known as Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis, or “ADEM” for short.

So, what is ADEM?

It is a rare autoimmune disorder, but its effects are significant.  Like all autoimmune disorders, the body begins attacking itself rather than fighting off outside bacteria or viruses.  ADEM causes inflammation of the brain and spinal cord and also can cause significant damage to the central nervous system.  The effects of ADEM are so severe they are often compared to multiple sclerosis.  Even worse, ADEM most often develops in young children and teenagers.Female Anatomy Brain Full

Typically, the onset of ADEM typically occurs weeks after a bacterial or viral infection, but it has also been linked to vaccinations.  Its symptoms are typically flu-like in nature including nausea, fever, headache, weakness, fatigue, and blurred vision.

Thankfully, for those who have suffered from ADEM caused by a vaccination, we may be able to recover compensation for your injuries, medical bills, and other damages through the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.

vaccineinjurylawblog Flu Shot, vaccine injury

What is SIRVA?

SIRVA stands for “Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration”. In a recent blog, we noted the increase in vaccine injury claims. Two types of claims noted to be on the rise are flu shot injury claims where a patient is diagnosed with Guillain Barre syndrome (GBS) secondary to nerve inflammation from the injection. The others are SIRVA claims. These are injuries of various types to the shoulder from the injection (needle injury), and not the vaccine itself. Accordingly, the Vaccine Injury Table was amended effective March 21, 2017 to reflect a number of additions and changes to include adding GBS and SIRVA claims. These changes were made in part to expedite the processing of these categories of claims. This means that if an injection injury claim meets the criteria listed in the table, then there is a legal presumption that the vaccine (or in the case of an injury from the injection itself) was the cause of the injury or condition, unless proven otherwise.

This is important because prior to this amendment to the Table if the prospective injury claim was not covered as a table and therefore the claimant technically had the burden of proving through expert witness testimony that the claimed injuries were caused by the vaccine and/or the administration of the vaccine. This new change is extremely advantageous for these types of claims.