Kathryn Alexander v. HHS - Pneumococcal, shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (“SIRVA”), and chronic left shoulder pain (2025)

Kathryn Alexander, born in 1973, received a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (Prevnar 13) on January 26, 2018. She alleged that this vaccine caused a shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) and chronic left shoulder pain.

Her Table claim for SIRVA was dismissed because the evidence did not support that her pain and limited range of motion were confined to the vaccinated shoulder, and there were other potential explanations for her symptoms, such as ankylosing spondylitis and cervical radiculopathy. The court noted that her left shoulder showed normal range of motion when examined and that her symptoms radiated beyond the shoulder to her arm, neck, and jaw.

The decision also highlighted that her medical records indicated other conditions, like cervical radiculopathy, which is an exclusionary diagnosis for SIRVA under the Table criteria. The court dismissed the Table SIRVA claim and ordered Petitioner to show cause by March 14, 2025, why her off-Table claim should not be dismissed for insufficient proof and failure to prosecute, requiring her to file outstanding medical records related to a motor vehicle accident, dermatology, and neurology.