Sheila Goins v. HHS - Influenza, neurological symptoms and Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) (2017)

Sheila Goins filed a petition on August 10, 2015, alleging that she suffered neurological symptoms and Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) caused by an influenza vaccination received on August 8, 2012. Ms.

Goins was 45 years old at the time of the alleged vaccination. The petition stated that her injuries persisted for more than six months.

The Special Master's decision focused on the petitioner's failure to prove that the vaccination occurred. Despite multiple status conferences and extensions, Ms.

Goins was unable to produce any documentary evidence, such as contemporaneous medical records or billing statements, confirming she received an influenza vaccine on August 8, 2012. She submitted affidavits from herself, her daughter, her mother, and a friend, but these were not corroborated by medical professionals or billing records.

Billing records from Tennova Healthcare, obtained via subpoena, indicated that no influenza vaccinations were administered at the hospital in August 2012. Furthermore, these hospital records noted that Ms.

Goins had been previously immunized for the current flu season and that it was no longer influenza season. The Center for Disease Control's (CDC) 2012-2013 Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Dose Distribution Schedule, filed by the respondent, showed that influenza vaccines were not available until September 7, 2012.

The Special Master noted that Ms. Goins' prior medical history included chronic migraines, chronic back pain, osteoarthritis, paresthesias, chest pain, hypertension, GERD, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and bipolar disorder.

She had received an influenza vaccine on December 9, 2011. Her medical records from August 2012 documented a gallbladder surgery and subsequent recovery, with no mention of a flu vaccination.

She was later hospitalized for observation for possible GBS, with symptoms including body pain, fatigue, and numbness in her feet progressing up to her knees. During this hospitalization, she denied any recent vaccinations.

Because Ms. Goins failed to meet the preponderance of the evidence standard to show that the vaccine was administered, her petition was dismissed by Special Master Mindy Michaels Roth on April 4, 2017.

Petitioner's counsel was Leah VaSahnja Durant, and respondent's counsel was Alexis B. Babcock.