Jacqueline Dickson v. HHS - Influenza, Guillain-Barré syndrome (2018)

Jacqueline Dickson filed a petition alleging that the influenza vaccine she received on October 22, 2013, caused her to develop Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). She reported symptoms approximately two weeks after vaccination, including swelling and pain, which progressed to include general myalgia, elbow and shoulder pain, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and leg pain.

Medical records from late 2013 and early 2014 showed various diagnoses and symptoms, including arthralgia/myalgia after flu vaccine, lower extremity swelling, and decreased reflexes, but no definitive diagnosis of GBS was made at that time. Despite later references to GBS by some treaters and the petitioner herself, the medical records lacked corroborating evidence, such as diagnostic testing or consistent clinical findings, to support a GBS diagnosis.

The court noted that no physician proposed GBS or conducted relevant testing in the months following vaccination. Furthermore, the petitioner was unable to secure a medical expert to support her claim of causation.

The court found that the petitioner failed to establish by a preponderance of the evidence that she actually suffered from GBS, and even if some symptoms were considered, the onset occurred outside a medically acceptable timeframe for a vaccine-induced GBS claim. Consequently, the petition was denied.