Charlotte Jacunski v. HHS - Influenza, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) (2014)

Charlotte Jacunski filed a petition under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program on August 11, 2009, seeking compensation for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), alleging that two influenza vaccinations administered on December 4, 2006, and November 16, 2007, caused or significantly aggravated her condition. Ms.

Jacunski, born in 1955, was 51 years old at the time of her first vaccination. Her initial neurological symptoms, including leg weakness, began in August or September 2006, prior to her first vaccination.

The medical records indicated that her condition either remained stable or improved in the weeks following the first vaccination, and the significant worsening of her CIDP occurred in September 2007, before her second vaccination. Petitioner's expert, Dr.

Thomas Morgan, theorized that the vaccinations caused exacerbations through molecular mimicry and a challenge/rechallenge mechanism. Respondent's expert, Dr.

Elijah Stommel, disagreed, stating there was no evidence that the vaccines altered the course of Ms. Jacunski's CIDP and that her symptoms predated the vaccinations.

Special Master George L. Hastings presided over the case.

After reviewing the evidence and expert testimony, the Special Master found that Dr. Morgan's opinion was based on flawed assumptions about the timing of the exacerbations, as the medical records indicated improvement or stability after the first vaccination and the significant worsening occurred before the second vaccination.

Furthermore, the Special Master found that Dr. Morgan failed to provide sufficient scientific support for his theories of molecular mimicry and challenge/rechallenge, and that Dr.

Stommel's testimony was more persuasive. The Special Master concluded that Ms.

Jacunski failed to establish a significant aggravation of her CIDP caused by the vaccinations, as required by the Althen and Loving standards, and therefore denied her claim for compensation. The decision was issued on September 23, 2014.