Filing for Compensation after a Hepatitis B Vaccine Injury

Today, approximately 1.2 million people in the United States and 350 million people worldwide have Hepatitis B, “a contagious liver disease that results from infection with the Hepatitis B virus.”¹

Since 1991, doctors have been recommending that children in the United States receive a Hepatitis B vaccine.² As a result, there are between 3,000 and 4,000 new acute Hepatitis B cases reported each year.³ Most people who currently have Hepatitis B were infected before a vaccine was invented for it.

However, just like other medical treatments, Hepatitis B vaccines can cause some adverse side effects in some. To address this problem, the government created the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) in 1986. This program serves as a “no-fault alternative to the traditional legal system for resolving vaccine injury petitions.”⁴

If a Hepatitis B vaccine has injured you or someone you love, this article will help you get started toward obtaining compensation from the VICP.

Why Do We Vaccinate against Hepatitis B?

You may be wondering if it is worth vaccinating for Hepatitis B—and the short answer is yes.

The Hepatitis B vaccine was only introduced a few decades ago; we have yet to see the long-term benefits of its invention. Since 1991, we have documented an 82 percent reduction in the number of new cases reported each year, though.²

Hepatitis B is still common throughout the world, so it is important to protect you and your family by getting vaccinated.

This disease spreads when blood or other bodily fluids from a person infected with the Hepatitis B virus enter the body of a non-infected person.¹ Hepatitis B can also be “passed from an infected mother to her baby at birth.”¹

The Hepatitis B virus can cause two types of infection:

• Acute Hepatitis B
  • • Short-term infection that lasts up to 6 months
    • Symptoms may include:
      • • Fever
        • Feeling tired
        • Upset stomach and throwing up
        • Not feeling hungry
        • Dark urine or clay-colored stool
        • Pain in muscles, joints, and/or stomach
        • Jaundice (yellow skin or eyes)⁵

       

       

   

   

• Chronic Hepatitis B
  • • A lifelong infection
    • Symptoms often do not appear until years later
    • Serious symptoms may include:
      • • Cirrhosis (scarring of the liver)
        • Liver cancer
        • Liver failure⁵

       

       

   

   

All Hepatitis B Vaccines Are Covered by the VICP

To be eligible for compensation from the VICP, you must have received a vaccine listed in the Vaccine Injury Table. Fortunately, all vaccines containing the Hepatitis B virus are covered.⁶

Table-Covered Hepatitis B Vaccine Injuries

When filing a petition with the VICP, it is far easier to receive compensation if your injury is listed in the Vaccine Injury Table. Therefore, these injuries are “table-covered.”

For all vaccines containing a Hepatitis B virus, the following reactions are table-covered:

• Anaphylaxis
  • • First symptoms must appear within 4 hours after vaccination.

   

   

• Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA)
  • • First symptoms must appear within 48 hours after vaccination.

   

   

• Vasovagal syncope
  • • First symptoms must appear within 1 hour after vaccination.⁶

   

   

What if Your Vaccine Injury Isn’t Listed in the Table?

After a Hepatitis B vaccine, someone may experience an injury that isn’t listed in the Table. There is a chance that they can receive compensation from the VICP if their injury meets the following criteria.

A non-table injury or reaction must fit one of these three situations in order to be eligible:

1. It has lasted more than 6 months after vaccination; or
2. It has resulted in “inpatient hospitalization and surgical intervention”; or
3. It has resulted in death.⁷

Think Your Injury Is Vaccine-Related? Contact Us Today

If you believe your injury is vaccine-related, you should speak with a vaccine injury attorney at Shannon Law Group, P.C., today. It’s very important you act fast, as you have a 3-year window to file a petition with the VICP.

You can start by filling out our online contact form. You can also call us at (312) 578-9501 or toll-free at (886) 881-9980. One of our team members will be in touch with you shortly. A free, no-obligation consultation is available as well.