Jason Quirino v. HHS - Hepatitis B, isolated small fiber neuropathy (2024)

Jason Quirino, an adult, received Hepatitis B and Tdap vaccines on July 28, 2014. Within approximately 18-48 hours, he developed flu-like symptoms, followed by numbness, tingling, and fatigue in his hands and feet.

He was diagnosed with an atypical form of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) manifesting as an isolated small fiber neuropathy (SFN). Quirino submitted medical records and expert testimony from Dr.

Laura Boylan, who opined that the vaccines caused his SFN, potentially through molecular mimicry, and that SFN can be considered a variant of GBS. The respondent's expert, Dr.

Jeffrey Gelfand, acknowledged that SFN is a possible diagnosis and that the vaccines could be immune-mediated but argued that the evidence did not meet the "more likely than not" standard for causation and that SFN is distinct from GBS. The court found that Quirino established a medical theory connecting the Hepatitis B vaccine to SFN, a logical sequence of cause and effect supported by his medical records and expert testimony, and a proximate temporal relationship between vaccination and symptom onset.

The court concluded that Quirino is entitled to compensation for his small fiber neuropathy, with damages to be determined in a separate order.