Flu Vaccine

Millions of people get the flu every year. It’s a potentially dangerous disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death. Each year, thousands of people in the U.S. die from the flu, and many more get hospitalized.

Influenza circulates continuously, causing year-round and seasonal epidemics in some tropical and temperate regions. Fortunately, an annual seasonal flu vaccine can prevent those vaccinated from being afflicted by the flu.

Due to the constant mutation of circulating flu viruses, flu vaccines are changed annually to match the virus strains currently affecting people. There are many flu viruses, so the annual vaccine is created to protect against three or four viruses that are likely to cause disease in the next flu season.

Influenza vaccines do not cause the flu and may be given at the same time as other vaccines. Over the past 50 years, hundreds of millions of Americans have been vaccinated against the flu, and there has been plenty of research supporting the safety of flu vaccines.

Why Is the Flu Vaccine Important?

Most people who get the flu have mild symptoms. But for some, it can be severe and even lead to death. Severe complications from the flu are more likely to occur in babies, older adults, young children, pregnant women, and people with certain long-term health conditions such as asthma or diabetes. Getting an annual vaccination is the best way to lower your chances of getting the flu and spreading it to others.

What Is the Flu?

The flu is a respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. It’s contagious, meaning it can spread from person to person. Common symptoms of the flu include:

  • Fever and chills
  • Stuffy or runny nose
  • Sore throat
  • Cough
  • Headache
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle or body aches

Not everyone with the flu will have a fever, while some will throw up and have diarrhea – especially children. The flu isn’t just a simple cold. It’s worse and can potentially cause serious complications such as:

  • Worsening of long-term health problems like heart failure or asthma
  • Pneumonia (lung infection)
  • Multi-organ failure
  • Sepsis, a life-threatening inflammatory condition
  • Inflammation of the heart, muscles, or brain

The flu can spread when:

  • Someone with the flu sneezes, coughs, or talks, and droplets from their nose or mouth get into the noses or mouths of people nearby
  • Someone touches a surface with the flu virus and then their eyes, nose, or mouth

Infected persons can spread the flu, whether they exhibit symptoms or not.

How Does the Flu Vaccine Work?

The flu vaccine works by stimulating your body’s immune system to attack and fight off the flu virus. It takes about 10-14 days for protection to develop after vaccination. Everyone aged six months or older should get the flu shot, with rare exceptions.

It’s particularly critical for high-risk groups, such as pregnant women, healthcare workers, and older adults. The very young are more likely than adults to develop complications from the flu, so they must stay up-to-date on their flu vaccinations.

Who Should Not Get the Vaccine?

Some people who may not be eligible for the flu vaccine include:

  • Infants under the age of six months
  • People with a history of severe reaction to a flu vaccine
  • Some people with a history of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), a severe paralyzing illness. Talk to your doctor about your GBS history
  • If you’re feeling unwell, talk to your doctor about your symptoms
  • People with severe allergies to the flu vaccine or any ingredient in the vaccine

Your healthcare provider can provide more information.

Side Effects and Reactions

lady having nausea because of side effect of flu vaccine

Flu vaccines, like any medical product, can cause side effects. Most side effects are mild and short-lived. Common side effects and reactions of the flu vaccine include:

  • Redness, soreness, or swelling from the shot
  • Nausea
  • Headache
  • Sore muscles
  • Fever

These are typical symptoms and are partly due to your body’s immune system reacting to the vaccine. With any vaccine, keep an eye out for unusual symptoms, such as behavioral changes, high fever, or signs of a severe allergic reaction after getting the flu shot.

Signs of a severe allergic reaction typically appear within a few minutes of receiving the vaccine and include:

  • Difficulty breathing
  • Behavior changes
  • Numbness
  • Paleness
  • Weakness
  • Hives
  • Dizziness or a fast heartbeat
  • Wheezing or hoarseness

If you experience any of these reactions, seek medical attention right away. The flu shot has been reported to cause conditions such as:

This is not an exhaustive list of severe side effects that have been linked to the flu shot. Everyone must take these reactions seriously because if they’re left untreated, it could lead to permanent flu vaccine injuries, and in extreme cases, death.

Whether the vaccine is administered by nasal spray or by injection (the flu shot), and whether it includes live or inactive cultures, the risk of a severe flu vaccine injury remains minimal.

How to Report a Serious Reaction to the Flu Vaccine?

Contact your healthcare provider immediately if you have a serious reaction to the flu vaccine. Your health care provider should report your reaction to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Alternatively, you can file a report yourself.

It’s crucial to report all severe reactions, even if the virus didn’t cause it. VAERS uses submitted data to help identify adverse vaccine reactions that may need further investigation. If you’re injured by a flu vaccine, suffer arm pain, illness, an adverse reaction, or another injury after receiving a flu shot, you may qualify for compensation.

We can help you navigate the process of seeking compensation through the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Contact us directly for more information.

Possible Injuries

While the flu shot is safe for most people, it can cause unexpected, serious injuries. There is also the remote chance of a vaccine causing death. People who think their injury has resulted from a flu vaccine can file a compensation claim from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP).

This federal program was created to compensate people who may have been injured by certain vaccines. The funds help offset the cost of lost wages, medical bills, and other challenges arising from vaccination-related injuries.

VICP is fully funded by a small tax placed on every vaccine administered in the United States. Petitioners don’t have to pay any money to be compensated – not even legal fees. Unlike the traditional legal system, you’re not suing anybody or filing a lawsuit. Instead, you’re applying to receive compensation for money from a fund set up for people who qualify to receive the money.

The program pays attorney’s fees and costs separately from any compensation award, so you don’t have to worry about out-of-pocket expenses to prosecute the case.

Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA)

Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA) is a rare condition in which pain and loss of function in the shoulder occur after a vaccination. It can result in stiffness, weakness, shoulder pain, or nerve inflammation, usually within 48 hours of vaccine administration in people who had no shoulder issues before the injection. Though very rare, it may also result in nerve injury.

SIRVA is a preventable occurrence and results from an error in the manner of injection. It could be eradicated by training in proper injection technique.

What Is Guillain-Barre Syndrome?

Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) is a rare autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves. This leads to numbness, weakness, and tingling and can eventually paralyze the whole body. Some studies have found a possible small increased risk of GBS with injectable flu vaccines.

How Effective Is the Flu Vaccine?

The flu vaccine is the best protection against the flu. Although there’s a little chance you might get the flu, flu vaccines help protect against the main types of flu viruses. If you get the flu after getting the flu vaccine, chances are the infection will be mild and won’t last as long.

Getting a flu shot will also stop you from spreading the flu to others who may be more at risk of serious problems from the flu.

Compensation for Flu Vaccine-related Injuries

Vaccine-related injury claims must be filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington D.C. Victims must file all claims within three years of their first symptom of the injury they believe was caused by a vaccine, or within two years of death believed to be caused by immunization. The amount of compensation depends on the extent of the flu vaccine-related illness.

How We Can Help

At Sadaka Associates, we have years of experience in vaccine-related litigation. Our detail-oriented approach ensures that you get the attention you deserve. We help clients from all over the country who have been injured by vaccination. We’ll help you file your claim and handle all the paperwork so you can focus on your health.

CIDP AFTER FLU VACCINE

Estimated $3 million + total settlement, including $1,550,996 lump sum award and an annuity contract, for adult male who suffered from chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) after receiving an influenza vaccine.

CIDP AFTER FLU VACCINE

Estimated $750,000 + total settlement, including $257,280 lump sum award and an annuity contract, for adult male who suffered from chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy after receiving an influenza vaccine.

CIDP AFTER FLU VACCINE

Estimated $500,000 + total settlement, including $278,007 lump sum award and an annuity contract, for adult female who suffered from chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) after receiving an influenza vaccine.

GBS AFTER FLU VACCINE

$150,000 + total settlement, including $110,000 lump sum award, for adult female who suffered from a typical Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), and neurogenic bladder after receiving an influenza vaccine.

CEREBROVASCULAR ACCIDENT AFTER FLU AND TETANUS VACCINE

$10,000 settlement for a 75 year old russian male who suffered a cerebrovascular accident, CVA and neurologic injuries as a result of receiving influenza and tetanus-diphtheria, Td vaccines.

NARCOLEPSY AFTER FLU VACCINE

$170,627.72 settlement for a five year old boy from Virginia who developed narcolepsy as a result of the influenza vaccination.

MULTI SCLEROSIS AFTER FLU VACCINE

$100,000.00 settlement for a twenty-four year old woman who developed multiple sclerosis as a result of the influenza vaccination. 

GBS AND CIDP AFTER FLU VACCINE

$5,328,078.77 total settlement which includes life care expenses, payment for lost earnings, and pain and suffering compensation for a 40 year old man from North Carolina who developed Guillain-Barré syndrome or GBS and Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy or CDIP as a result of the influenza vaccination.

AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE AND NEUROPATHY AFTER FLU VACCINE

$50,000 total settlement for a 63 year old gentleman from Texas who developed an autoimmune disease and neuropathy as a result of receiving the influenza vaccination.

OMS SYNDROME AFTER MULTIPLE VACCINES

$55,000 total settlement for a 15 month old baby who developed opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome, OMS as a result of receiving the diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis, DTaP and influenza type B, HIB vaccines.

PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY AFTER INFLUENZA VACCINE

$25,000.00 total settlement for a woman who developed peripheral neuropathy as a result of receiving the influenza vaccine.

CRPS AFTER INFLUENZA VACCINE

$162,056.50. total settlement for a 15 year old girl from Arizona who developed complex regional pain syndrome or CRPS as a result of the human papillomavirus or HPV vaccine.

GBS AND CIDP AFTER FLU VACCINE

$110,000.00 total settlement for a 32 year old woman from Wausau Wyoming who developed Guillain-Barré syndrome or GBS and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy or CDIP as a result of the influenza vaccination.

CIDP AFTER FLU VACCINE

$682,870.65. total settlement which includes first-year life care expenses, lost earnings, pain and suffering, and past unreimbursable expenses compensation for a 56 year old Texas man who developed Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy or CIDP as a result of receiving influenza vaccination.

CIDP AFTER FLU VACCINE

$55,000.00 total settlement for a 65 year old man from Ohio who developed chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy or CIDP as a result of the influenza vaccination. He passed away from unrelated causes during the pendency of this case.

TRANSVERSE MYELITIS AFTER FLU VACCINE

$175,000.00 total settlement from a 52 year old man who developed transverse myelitis or TM as a result of the influenza vaccination. (maximum available recovery of $250,000.00).

ALOPECIA AFTER FLU AND HPV VACCINES

$50,000.00 settlement for a 13 year old girl from New Jersey who developed alopecia as a result of receiving the influenza vaccine and Human Papillomavirus or HPV vaccine.

MULTIPLE INJURIES AFTER FLU VACCINE

$20,694.99 settlement for a 31 year old woman from Nevada who developed bilateral upper extremity swelling, paresthesias, and arthritis as a result of the influenza vaccine.

RASHES AND SCARRING AFTER FLU VACCINE

$25,000.00 settlement for 63-year-old women from Florida who developed skin rash, fatigue and scarring after receiving the trivalent influenza vaccine.

CHRONIC URTICARIA AFTER FLU VACCINE

$10,000.00 settlement for an eight year old boy from Illinois who developed chronic urticaria as a result of receiving the influenza vaccine.

MULTIPLE INJURIES AFTER FLU VACCINE

$90,000.00 settlement for a 50 year old women from New Mexico who developed multiple injuries as a result of the influenza vaccine. Suffering from demyelinating event, vasculitis, amaurosis fugax, anisocria, fatigue and weakness. She was awarded for damages.

ITP AFTER HEPATITIS A AND FLU VACCINES

$90,000.00 settlement for a three year old girl from Colorado who developed immune thrombocytopenic purpura as a result of the Hepatitis A and influenza vaccines.

BRACHIAL NEURITIS AFTER MULTIPLE VACCINES

$250,000 settlement for adult male who suffered from brachial neuritis after receiving influenza, Tdap, meningococcal, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, IPV, and MMR vaccines.

BRACHIAL NEURITIS AFTER FLU VACCINE

$60,000 settlement for adult female who suffered from brachial neuritis after influenza vaccine

BRACHIAL NEURITIS AFTER MULTIPLE VACCINES

$250,000.00 settlement for a 19 year old man enlisted in the army, who developed brachial neuritis as a result of receiving the influenza vaccine, tetanus diphtheria accellular pertussis or Tdap vaccine, meningococcal vaccine, hepatitis A and B vaccines, polio inactivated or IPV vaccine, and measles mumps and rubella or MMR vaccine.

BRACHIAL NEURITIS AFTER FLU VACCINE

$60,000.00 settlement for a NY woman who developed brachial neuritis as a result of receiving the influenza vaccine.

BRACHIAL PLEXOPATHY AFTER FLU VACCINE

$62,500.00 settlement for an elderly veteran from Texas who developed brachial plexopathy as a result of the influenza vaccine.

SHOULDER INJURY AFTER FLU VACCINE

$55,000.00 settlement for a texas gentleman who developed a vaccine-induced nerve injury in his right arm as a result of the influenza vaccine.

SHOULDER INJURY AFTER FLU VACCINE

$50,447 settlement for adult male who suffered shoulder injury related to vaccine administration after receiving an influenza vaccine

SHOULDER INJURY AFTER FLU VACCINE

$50,000.00 settlement for Joseph, a 54 year old male from New Jersey who developed a shoulder injury and a systemic inflammatory response leading to a heart attack and decreased cardiac strength and function as a result of receiving the influenza vaccination.

SHOULDER INJURY AFTER FLU VACCINE

$125,000.00 settlement for a 45 year old woman from Texas who developed arm and shoulder pain, frozen shoulder, and shoulder rotator cuff tendinosis with impingement syndrome requiring surgery as a result of the influenza vaccine.

SHOULDER INJURY AFTER FLU VACCINE

$65,000.00 settlement for a 49-year old woman from California who developed shoulder injury related to the administration of the influenza vaccine or SIRVA.

MULTIPLE INJURIES AFTER FLU VACCINE

$30,000.00 settlement for a 54 year old woman from California who developed shoulder injury related to vaccine administration or SIRVA, acute neuropathy, paresthesia, and bilateral upper extremity weakness as a result of the influenza vaccine.

MULTIPLE INJURIES AFTER FLU VACCINE

$50,447.94 settlement for a gentlemen from WI who developed shoulder injury related to vaccine administration or SIRVA to include upper brachial plexopathy, Parsonage-Turner syndrome, nerve pain, low-grade strain, subacromial bursitis, and subdeltoid bursitis as a result of receiving the flu vaccine.

MULTIPLE INJURIES AFTER FLU AND TDAP VACCINES

$85,000.00 settlement for a young women from Colorado who developed nerve damage, brachial neuritis, brachial plexus and shoulder injury, chronic myofascial parascapular pain, depression, and anxiety as a result of the influenza and TDaP vaccinations.

MULTIPLE INJURIES AFTER MULTIPLE VACCINES

$35,000.00 settlement for a 31 year old woman from Pennsylvania who developed vaccine-induced anaphylactic reaction, weakness, Parsonage Turner Syndrome, peripheral neuropathy, and transverse myelitis as a result of receiving an influenza, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, polio, and Diphtheria-Tetanus-acellular Pertussis or DTaP vaccinations.

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