Jerilyn Greenhaw v. HHS - Influenza, small fiber neuropathy (2024)

Jerilyn Greenhaw, a 41-year-old adult, received an influenza vaccine on October 2, 2018. She alleged that this vaccine caused her to develop small fiber neuropathy (SFN), oropharyngeal dysphagia, gastric dysmotility, and degenerative disease of the nervous system.

Ms. Greenhaw presented medical records detailing symptoms such as memory loss, stuttering, body aches, difficulty with word finding, and a changed gait, which began to appear within months of her vaccination.

Her symptoms progressed, and she was eventually diagnosed with SFN in August 2019 based on a skin biopsy. She also had pre-existing conditions including sleep apnea, GERD, anxiety, depression, and tested positive for ANA.

The Secretary of Health and Human Services disputed her claim, arguing that many of her symptoms predated the vaccination and that she failed to establish a causal link. The case proceeded as an off-Table claim, meaning Ms.

Greenhaw had to prove causation. She submitted multiple expert reports from Dr.

Gurney Pearsall, who opined that the flu vaccine triggered her SFN via molecular mimicry. However, the Special Master found Dr.

Pearsall's reports to be inadequate, noting his lack of specific expertise in vaccine-related neuropathy and his failure to substantively apply the theory of molecular mimicry to the facts of Ms. Greenhaw's case.

Despite multiple opportunities and extensions, the court determined that Ms. Greenhaw had not presented sufficient evidence to demonstrate a reliable medical theory connecting the flu vaccine to her condition.

Consequently, her claim for compensation was denied.