Allen Bickel v. HHS - Tdap, Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) (2026)

Allen Bickel, a man in his early 60s, filed a petition for compensation under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, alleging that he suffered Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) as a result of receiving a Tdap vaccine on May 24, 2019. The petition was filed on February 4, 2021.

Mr. Bickel's medical records indicate he experienced upper respiratory infection symptoms in late April 2019, and worsening headaches and weakness by mid-May.

He received the Tdap vaccine on May 24, 2019, for a puppy bite, with no immediate reaction noted. Over three weeks later, around June 12-13, 2019, he began experiencing numbness in his toes and hands, followed by pain and cramps.

He was hospitalized in early July 2019 with progressive weakness and other neurological symptoms. A neurologist diagnosed an acute polyneuropathy, but expressed doubt about GBS due to normal CSF protein.

Subsequent testing revealed a motor and sensory polyneuropathy. Mr.

Bickel's experts, Dr. Norman Latov and Dr.

Sohail Ahmed, argued that the Tdap vaccine can cause GBS through mechanisms like molecular mimicry or bystander activation, citing case reports and VAERS data. They also asserted a medically appropriate temporal relationship between the vaccination and symptom onset.

Respondent's experts, Dr. Brian Callaghan and Dr.

You-Wen He, countered that there is insufficient scientific evidence to support a causal link between the Tdap vaccine and GBS, emphasizing the limitations of case reports and VAERS data. They pointed to the petitioner's pre-vaccination URI as a more likely cause.

The Chief Special Master reviewed the evidence and expert reports, ultimately denying entitlement. The decision found that Mr.

Bickel failed to establish the first Althen prong, that the Tdap vaccine can cause GBS, by a preponderance of the evidence. The court noted that existing medical science does not support a likely causal link between the Tdap vaccine and GBS, and that the evidence presented, including homology showings and case reports, was insufficient.

The court also noted that Mr. Bickel's pre-vaccination URI was a more likely trigger for GBS than the vaccine.

Therefore, Mr. Bickel was not entitled to compensation.