George L. Hodgdon v. HHS - Influenza, Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS) (2020)

George L. Hodgdon filed a petition alleging that the influenza vaccine he received on October 9, 2016, caused him to develop Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS).

The respondent, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, initially recommended that compensation be denied. The respondent later disputed the accuracy of Mr.

Hodgdon's GBS diagnosis, the temporal association between his vaccination and condition, and suggested a prior gastrointestinal illness as a more likely cause. Mr.

Hodgdon's medical records did not substantiate his allegations, and he was unable to secure adequate expert support for his claim. The court noted that while GBS is listed on the Vaccine Injury Table for the flu vaccine, Mr.

Hodgdon did not contend that his condition's onset fell within the Table's prescribed timeframe, nor would the evidence support such a claim. Consequently, Mr.

Hodgdon filed a status report indicating his intention to dismiss the petition due to a lack of expert support and an inability to prove entitlement to compensation. The court granted Mr.

Hodgdon's motion for a decision denying compensation and dismissed the petition for failure to establish a prima facie case.