{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-02061","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-02061-1","petitioner_identifier":"N.A.","is_minor":1,"age_at_vaccination":1.01,"age_unit_raw":"years","vaccine_type":"MMRV","vaccination_date":"2016-06-23","condition_raw":"death following fever and seizure","condition_category":"death","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"denied","award_amount_usd":null,"decision_date":"2023-11-29","extraction_version":"gemini-v2","extracted_at":"2026-04-30T00:55:17.849654+00:00","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":4,"dose_number":1,"time_to_onset_days":7,"theory_of_causation":"Petitioners alleged that the MMRV vaccine administered on June 23, 2016, caused N.A. to develop a fever, which triggered a fatal seizure. Petitioners' experts, Dr. Douglas C. Miller and Dr. Marcel Kinsbourne, opined that the MMRV vaccine can cause fever and febrile seizures, and that in a vulnerable child with hippocampal and medullary abnormalities, such a seizure could lead to death. They cited N.A.'s family history of febrile seizures and alleged hippocampal abnormalities as evidence of vulnerability. Respondent's experts, Dr. Hart G.W. Lidov, Dr. Sara O. Vargas, and Dr. Christine McCusker, disagreed, stating there was no evidence of a seizure, no definitive fever, and that alleged hippocampal abnormalities were not significant. The Special Master found that Petitioners failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that N.A. suffered a seizure or had brain abnormalities. The Special Master also found that the experts' reliance on statistical likelihoods and extrapolation from epilepsy cases was insufficient. The petition was denied and dismissed.","is_death":1,"date_of_death":"2016-06-30","petition_filed_date":"2017-12-29","case_summary":"On December 29, 2017, Brian and Karen Anklam, as legal representatives of the estate of their deceased daughter, N.A., filed a petition for compensation under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. They alleged that an MMRV vaccine administered to N.A. on June 23, 2016, caused her to develop a fever, which triggered a seizure leading to her death on June 30, 2016. Petitioners argued that N.A. had a family history of febrile seizures and potential hippocampal abnormalities, making her vulnerable to a vaccine-induced fatal seizure. Respondent argued against compensation, stating the case was not appropriate under the Vaccine Act. The Special Master considered the testimony of medical experts for both sides. Petitioners' experts, Dr. Douglas C. Miller and Dr. Marcel Kinsbourne, opined that the MMRV vaccine caused a fever and a fatal seizure, citing N.A.'s family history of seizures and alleged hippocampal abnormalities. Respondent's experts, Dr. Hart G.W. Lidov, Dr. Sara O. Vargas, and Dr. Christine McCusker, countered that there was no evidence of a seizure, no definitive fever threshold, no physical evidence of a seizure, and that alleged hippocampal abnormalities were not significant or were normal variants. The Special Master found that Petitioners failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that N.A. suffered a seizure or that she had significant hippocampal or medullary abnormalities. The Special Master also noted that the experts' opinions relied on statistical likelihoods and theories extrapolated from epilepsy cases, which were not sufficiently supported for this case. While a temporal relationship between the vaccine and the death was established, the Special Master concluded that Petitioners failed to prove the first two prongs of the Althen test for causation. Therefore, the petition was denied and dismissed.","is_minor_inferred":1,"is_pediatric_broad":1,"special_master":"Nora Beth Dorsey","petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":null,"petitioner_attorney_name":"Curtis R. Webb","petitioner_attorney_firm":"Curtis R. Webb, Attorney at Law","petitioner_attorney_location":"Monmouth, OR","adjudicator_name":null,"caption_people_backfilled_at":null,"attorney_canonical_keys":"|curtis-webb|","firm_canonical_key":"curtis-r-webb","package_title":"ANKLAM et al v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-02061","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-02061.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-02061.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-02061-0","title":"ANKLAM et al v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 6/25/2020) regarding 45 DECISION of Special Master - Interim Attorney's Fees Signed by Special Master Nora Beth Dorsey. (mca) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2020-07-20","pdf_url":null,"pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"skip","triage_reason":"fees-only decision (attorney compensation)","download_status":"skipped"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-02061-1","title":"ANKLAM et al v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 11/29/2023) regarding 98 DECISION of Special Master. Signed by Special Master Nora Beth Dorsey. (kis) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2023-12-26","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-02061/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-02061-1/pdf","pdf_bytes":603135,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"docketText matches keep keyword 'decision of special master'","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-02061/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-02061-1"}]}