A.R. v. HHS - DTaP, very early onset infantile bowel disease (VEO-IBD) (2025)
Case summary [AI summaries can sometimes make mistakes]
On November 20, 2017, Ana Oquendo Vazquez and Artemio Ramirez Garcia filed a petition on behalf of their infant daughter, A.R. A.R. was born on December 4, 2016 and was 66 days old when she received DTaP, hepatitis B, inactivated polio, and RotaTeq rotavirus vaccines on February 8, 2017.
Petitioners alleged that the vaccines, especially the live oral rotavirus vaccine, caused very early onset infantile bowel disease. The claim focused on A.R.'s gastrointestinal course after vaccination.
Petitioners argued that the rotavirus vaccine induced infection or immune activation in the gut, leading to VEO-IBD. Respondent disputed causation, and the case proceeded as an off-Table claim with expert proof on the biological mechanism and the clinical sequence.
The Special Master granted entitlement on October 22, 2025, finding petitioners had carried their burden on causation. Damages remained for later proceedings.
The public record supports A.R.'s exact infant age at vaccination and the first-dose vaccine set.