Melanie Yalacki v. HHS - Hepatitis B, chronic fatigue syndrome and/or postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (2019)

Melanie Yalacki, a 33-year-old woman, received her third Hepatitis B vaccine on June 2, 2011. She alleged that this vaccine caused her to develop Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and/or Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS).

She reported experiencing body aches and fatigue almost immediately after the vaccination. Despite numerous medical evaluations in the following weeks and months, many treating physicians could not identify the source of her symptoms and did not believe the vaccine was causal.

Some physicians later diagnosed her with CFS, while others doubted the diagnosis or found no evidence of POTS. Petitioner's expert, Dr.

Yehuda Shoenfeld, proposed a theory of molecular mimicry, suggesting the vaccine could trigger an autoimmune response leading to POTS and CFS. Respondent's experts, including Dr.

Philip Low, a leading authority on the autonomic nervous system, and Dr. Peter Donofrio, a neurologist, contested this theory.

They opined that POTS is not typically autoimmune, that Dr. Shoenfeld's theory was speculative and lacked scientific support, and that Petitioner's symptoms were more likely attributable to pre-existing conditions, anxiety, or deconditioning.

The Special Master denied entitlement, finding that Petitioner had not offered a reliable theory explaining how the Hep B vaccine could cause her alleged injuries. The court affirmed this decision on review, agreeing that the Special Master applied the correct legal standards and that the findings were supported by the record.