Linda Andrade v. HHS - Tdap, Mixed Connective Tissue Disease (2025)

Linda Andrade filed a claim alleging that she developed Mixed Connective Tissue Disease (MCTD) as a result of a TDaP vaccination she received on February 11, 2021. As this was not a Table injury, Ms.

Andrade was required to prove that the vaccine caused her injury by establishing a medical theory of causation, a logical sequence of cause and effect, and a proximate temporal relationship. She filed her petition on February 1, 2024.

During the proceedings, Ms. Andrade was unable to find an expert witness to support her claim of vaccine causation, with two qualified experts declining to offer an opinion.

Her treating providers also did not attribute her MCTD to the vaccine. Due to the lack of expert testimony and insufficient medical records to support causation, the court found that Ms.

Andrade failed to meet the burden of proof for an off-Table claim. Consequently, her petition was dismissed.