Dora Sugranez v. HHS - Influenza, shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) and cellulitis (2026)

Dora Sugranez, born in 1942, received an influenza and a pneumococcal vaccine on August 26, 2018. She alleged that these vaccinations caused a shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) or, alternatively, that the vaccines were the cause-in-fact of her shoulder problem.

Prior to vaccination, Ms. Sugranez had a history of left shoulder pain and cervicalgia, for which she received treatment including a steroid injection.

Within days of the vaccination, she developed cellulitis in her left arm, which required hospitalization and antibiotic treatment. While she experienced shoulder pain after the vaccination, the court found that her immediate reaction was cellulitis, not SIRVA, as cellulitis is not an injury to the musculoskeletal structure of the shoulder as defined by SIRVA regulations.

Furthermore, her medical records did not support a finding of infection in her bursa, which was the theory presented by her expert for an off-Table claim. The court also noted that her cellulitis resolved and did not meet the severity requirements for compensation.

Ultimately, Ms. Sugranez failed to establish by a preponderance of the evidence that she was entitled to compensation for either an on-Table SIRVA injury or an off-Table injury.

The petition was denied.