E.S. v. HHS - HPV, autonomic dysfunction, headaches, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), small fiber neuropathy (SFN), cardiac condition, aggravation of preexisting diabetes mellitus (2021)

Petitioner alleged that the HPV and Hepatitis A vaccines administered on July 15, 2014, and the HPV and Influenza vaccines administered on August 19, 2015, aggravated her pre-existing Type I Diabetes (T1D) and caused headaches, narcolepsy, CFS, POTS, SFN, and a cardiac condition. Petitioner's experts, Dr. Steinman and Dr. Lee, proposed theories linking the HPV vaccine to these conditions, primarily through molecular mimicry and autoimmune responses, and suggested that the vaccine could exacerbate T1D. Respondent's experts, including Dr. LaRue (cardiologist), Dr. MacGinnitie (pediatrician/immunologist), Dr. Raizen (neurologist/sleep specialist), and Dr. Gibbons (neurologist), opined that the evidence did not support a causal link between the vaccines and the alleged injuries. They challenged the Petitioner's diagnoses, the proposed mechanisms of causation, and the temporal relationship between vaccination and symptom onset. The Special Master denied the claim, finding that the alleged injuries were not preponderantly established and the causation theories were unreliable. The Court of Federal Claims affirmed the Special Master's decision, agreeing that the Petitioner failed to meet the burden of proof under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, specifically the Althen criteria for causation, and that the medical evidence did not preponderantly support her claims. No award was granted.