Understanding Vaccines and Their Side Effects: A Guide for People Who May Have Been Injured
If you or your child received a vaccine and something changed afterward, such as a new health problem, an unexpected reaction, or symptoms that have not resolved, you may be wondering whether the vaccine could be responsible. Vaccine types covered under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) include most vaccines routinely administered in the United States. Serious adverse effects are rare, but certain qualifying injuries may be compensable under federal law when the Vaccine Injury Table’s requirements or the VICP’s case-specific causation standard are met.
Our firm assists people who have suffered harm after receiving a variety of different types of vaccines in filing VICP claims. We’re here to help you understand what a specific vaccine protects against, what serious adverse effects have been associated with it, and whether those effects might support a legal claim for a vaccine injury.
It costs nothing to discuss your situation with our legal team. Reach out today through our online contact form for a free consultation and case review.
What It Means for a Vaccine to Be Covered Under the VICP
Not every vaccine is covered under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Coverage has specific requirements:
- The category of vaccine must be recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for routine administration to children or pregnant women.
- The vaccine must be subject to an excise tax under federal law.
Most vaccine types routinely administered in the United States meet these criteria, including the vaccines listed on this page.
Coverage matters for two reasons. First, it determines whether you can file a VICP petition at all. Second, it affects how your claim is evaluated. Covered vaccines are subject to the Vaccine Injury Table, which lists specific injuries and the timeframes within which they must develop to qualify for presumed causation.
For injuries not listed on the Table, compensation is still possible, but requires presenting medical and scientific evidence of causation.
Vaccines and Their Side Effects: Normal Reactions vs. Serious Injuries
Most people who receive covered vaccines experience nothing beyond mild, temporary reactions. The most common side effects generally include soreness or redness at the injection site, mild fatigue, or a low-grade fever that resolves within a day or two. These are signs that the immune system is responding as intended, and they are not compensable under the VICP.
Serious adverse effects are different. They involve health changes that persist, progress, or significantly affect your life. Neurological conditions, autoimmune disorders, shoulder injuries, anaphylaxis and severe allergic reactions, and other conditions go far beyond a sore arm. The VICP provides a process for seeking compensation when a serious condition meets the program’s Table requirements or can be supported through case-specific medical and scientific evidence.
The line between a normal reaction and a serious injury is not always clear immediately after vaccination. If you are still experiencing significant symptoms weeks or months after a vaccination, or if you have received a new diagnosis that appeared in the weeks or months following a vaccine, that timeline is worth discussing with a vaccine injury attorney. A free consultation can help you assess whether your situation may support a claim.
Vaccine Types Covered Under the VICP and Their Associated Injuries
The following vaccine types are covered under the VICP. With extensive knowledge of different vaccines and their side effects built over decades of handling VICP claims, our firm is well-positioned to help you explore any potential options for injury compensation that may be available to you.
DTaP, Tdap, and Tetanus-Containing Vaccines
DTaP and Tdap are combination vaccines that protect against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis, also known as whooping cough. They are formulated for different age groups and stages of life. DTaP is a widely administered children’s vaccine given to kids under age seven as part of the childhood vaccination series. Tdap is generally given to older children, adolescents, adults, and pregnant women as a booster.
Other tetanus vaccines include Td, which protects against tetanus and diphtheria without the pertussis component, and TT, which contains tetanus toxoid alone. These vaccines may be administered as routine boosters or in circumstances such as wound management.
The Vaccine Injury Table groups DTaP, DTP, DT, Td, and TT under the category of vaccines containing tetanus toxoid. Table injuries associated with this vaccine category include anaphylaxis, brachial neuritis, SIRVA, and vasovagal syncope when the condition develops within the required timeframe and satisfies the Table’s full diagnostic criteria. Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) and other neurological conditions are not listed as Table injuries for tetanus-containing vaccines but may still be pursued as off-Table claims when supported by appropriate medical and scientific evidence of causation.
Flu Vaccine
The seasonal influenza vaccine is the most widely administered vaccine in the United States and accounts for more VICP claims than any other covered vaccine. Serious injuries associated with the flu vaccine include GBS, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), SIRVA, brachial neuritis, transverse myelitis, anaphylaxis, and vasovagal syncope. GBS and SIRVA are listed on the Vaccine Injury Table for the seasonal flu vaccine. Non-seasonal flu vaccines, including pandemic vaccines, are not covered by the VICP.
Hepatitis A Vaccine
The hepatitis A vaccine is routinely administered to children and adults to protect against hepatitis A infection. Serious adverse effects associated with this vaccine include CIDP and other neurological conditions in reported cases. Our firm has secured significant results for clients who developed CIDP after receiving the hepatitis A vaccine, including a $2.15 million recovery for a nine-year-old Wisconsin boy.
Hepatitis B Vaccine
The hepatitis B vaccine is administered to newborns, children, and adults. It is one of the most widely studied vaccine types in the context of autoimmune adverse effects. Serious conditions associated with the hepatitis B vaccine include GBS, transverse myelitis, myasthenia gravis, and other autoimmune and neurological conditions. Most hepatitis B vaccine injury claims are pursued as off-table matters.
HiB Vaccine
The Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine is administered to infants and young children to protect against bacterial meningitis and other serious Hib infections. Serious adverse effects associated with this vaccine include nerve injuries and other conditions in reported cases. Our firm has secured results for clients injured following HiB vaccination.
MMR Vaccine
The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is one of the most widely administered childhood vaccines. Serious adverse effects associated with the MMR vaccine include acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), encephalitis, chronic arthritis from the rubella component, dermatomyositis, and other autoimmune and neurological conditions. Our firm secured a $3.21 million recovery for a four-year-old boy who developed dermatomyositis after receiving the MMR vaccine.
Meningococcal Vaccine
Meningococcal vaccines protect against bacterial meningitis and are routinely administered to adolescents and college students. Serious adverse effects associated with meningococcal vaccines include GBS and other neurological conditions in reported cases.
Rotavirus Vaccine
The rotavirus vaccine is administered to infants to protect against rotavirus gastroenteritis. Serious adverse effects associated with this vaccine include intussusception, a rare but serious bowel obstruction, and other conditions in reported cases.
Chickenpox (Varicella) Vaccine
The varicella (chickenpox) vaccine protects against chickenpox and is routinely administered to children. Serious adverse effects associated with this vaccine include encephalitis, meningitis, and other neurological conditions in reported cases.
Additional Covered Vaccines
The VICP also covers pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, polio vaccines, and certain other vaccines routinely administered in the United States. If you received a vaccine not listed above and believe it may have caused a serious injury, a free consultation is the most reliable way to determine whether your vaccine is covered and whether a claim may be viable.
Receiving Multiple Vaccines at Once: What That Means for a Potential Claim
It is common to receive more than one vaccine at a single appointment, particularly during childhood wellness visits, annual physicals, and travel vaccination appointments. If you developed a serious health condition after an appointment at which you received multiple vaccines, you may wonder whether that complicates a potential claim.
Receiving multiple vaccines at the same appointment does not disqualify you from filing a VICP petition. Your claim must identify the vaccine or vaccines alleged to have caused or contributed to the injury and support that theory through the medical records, symptom timing, applicable Table provisions, and relevant medical and scientific evidence. In some cases, the evidence points primarily to one vaccine; in others, the claim may address more than one vaccine administered at the same visit.
This is one of the areas where working with an attorney who has deep scientific and medical knowledge makes a meaningful difference. Determining which vaccine or vaccines may have caused or contributed to an injury in a multi-vaccine situation is both a factual and a scientific question, and it benefits from the kind of preparation our firm brings to every claim we handle.
Taking the Next Step After a Vaccine Side Effect or Injury
If you received a covered vaccine and developed a serious health condition in the weeks or months that followed, the most important first step is to speak with a vaccine injury attorney. The VICP's three-year filing deadline runs from the date of your first symptom, not the date of your diagnosis or the date you connected your symptoms to the vaccine. That clock may already be running.
At Sadaka Law, we have represented more than 450 vaccine injury clients over more than 20 years of VICP practice. Attorney Mark Sadaka holds a Master of Science in Public Health with a specialization in toxicology and risk assessment. This background shapes how we evaluate every claim, whether it involves a well-documented on-table injury or a complex off-table condition that requires building a scientific case from the ground up.
We have recovered more than $100 million for clients, including millions in results specifically for vaccine injury claimants, and we have secured multiple first-of-their-kind VICP victories.
A free consultation with our team costs you nothing and gives you a clear, honest picture of whether your situation may support a claim, what the process would involve, and what you should be doing right now to protect your rights. We will answer your vaccine injury claim questions and help you understand your options and next steps.
Get Answers About Vaccine Types and Whether You May Have a VICP Injury Claim, Starting With a Free Consultation
Whether you received a flu shot, a childhood vaccine series, an adult booster, or any other covered vaccine, Sadaka Law is ready to evaluate your situation. Call Sadaka Law today at 201-904-3994 or fill out our online contact form for a free consultation with a firm that understands the nuances of different vaccines and their side effects. There’s no obligation and no upfront cost.