Vaccination Injury in New Jersey

Are you in disbelief that you or a loved one suffered after a vaccination injury?

Receiving a vaccine is a safe and critical aspect of anyone’s healthcare in New Jersey. Despite a history of safety, mistakes that lead to injuries can cause harm. In addition, the costs of follow-up care can reach astronomical heights. Thankfully, you can start to protect your health and financial future by reading this guide today.

What Is a Vaccination Injury?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports vaccines contain a weakened or dead version of a disease. After injection, the body develops antibodies to specific illnesses. Effectively, this makes the recipient immune from the disease.

Most people who receive vaccines have a successful immunity boost for many illnesses. While vaccines may contain the disease, some recipients develop health problems. An experienced New Jersey vaccination injury lawyer can help determine if you have a claim.

It can be onerous to determine how many individuals suffer harm from vaccines annually in New Jersey. Furthermore, linking a vaccine injury to ongoing medical issues can be challenging. Nonetheless, the federal government offers a Vaccine Injury Compensation Program to citizens.

What Are Some Common Types of Vaccination Injuries in New Jersey?

It is perfectly normal to experience some minor soreness around the vaccine injection site. However, vaccines should not cause significant harm. If you or a loved one has experienced pain, loss of body functions or even death, you may want to speak with New Jersey vaccination injury lawyers.

Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP)

WebMD reports the symptoms of CIDP can vary from person to person. Additionally, they must persist for eight weeks to become associated with this condition. As a result, it can be challenging for patients in New Jersey to prove its connection to a vaccination injury.

Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP)

ITP has a connection to the MMR vaccine that has become documented in patients in New Jersey. The main character is a lowering of the platelet levels in the blood. The resulting symptoms can include:

  • Bruising easily
  • Bloody stools or urine
  • Heavy menstrual flow
  • Bleeding into skin

Vaccination-Related Shoulder Injuries

Shoulder injuries may occur due to how any New Jersey health professional administers the vaccine. Alternatively, the contents of the vaccine can cause harm.

Symptoms may range from ongoing pain at the injection site to a complete loss of muscle movement in the arm. While often temporary, vaccination-related shoulder injuries may be permanent.

Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Research has linked Guillain-Barre syndrome to different types of vaccines, one of which is the annual flu shot. The condition happens when the immune system attacks itself, causing damage to nerve cells.

While the symptoms vary, they often include paralysis and muscular weakness. These issues typically resolve within a few weeks. But, Guillain-Barre syndrome may cause permanent nerve damage. This injury may result in loss of motion, paralysis, and other ongoing complications.

Anaphylaxis

New Jersey healthcare professionals should check for known patient allergies. If a vaccine recipient happens to be allergic to the ingredients in the vaccine, the injection may cause a reaction. Symptoms may include hives, fevers, fainting, shortness of breath, and anaphylaxis.

Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that is potentially life-threatening. Regrettably, an individual may not realize they have an allergy until after receiving the vaccination.

Encephalitis

Encephalitis sometimes happens when there is an infection in the body. It can also be part of the body’s response to an infection. This condition results in swelling of brain tissue.

Some common symptoms of encephalitis are pain, fever, headaches, fatigue, and weakness. While these problems may resolve in a few weeks, doctors must track this potentially life-threatening condition.

Myelitis

While encephalitis is swelling of the brain, myelitis involves spinal cord inflammation. Nonetheless, doctors and scientists do not completely understand the causes of myelitis.

Still, some patients have developed spinal cord inflammation after vaccine injection. Swelling around the spinal cord may cause a variety of complications. Symptoms may include paralysis, pain and loss of muscular control.   

What Are Some of the Vaccines, Conditions, and Injuries Covered by Law?

Patients in New Jersey need to examine their vaccination injuries against the Vaccine Injury Table. Once you have completed this task, you will better understand whether you can submit a petition. We have provided these sections to illustrate how this process should work.

Td Vaccine

A Td vaccine is an accepted way to protect patients in New Jersey from tetanus and diphtheria. Either of these diseases can be extraordinarily uncomfortable and potentially life-threatening. But, if you develop the following in the designated time frame, you should have a compensation claim:

  • Anaphylaxis – within 4 hours of vaccination
  • Brachial Neuritis – 2 to 28 days after administration
  • Shoulder Injury – less than 28 hours from injection
  • Vasovagal Syncope – must happen within an hour

MMR Vaccine

Mumps, measles, and rubella represent significant risks to patients that suffer from these viral diseases. Accordingly, they are a standard set of conditions to vaccinate people in New Jersey against.

The injuries associated with this shot are typical; shoulder injuries, anaphylaxis, etc. But, there is a risk for chronic arthritis associated with any rubella vaccination.

Pneumococcal Vaccine

The CDC recommends pneumococcal vaccination for all children in the U.S. under the age of five. Allergic reactions to its administration can be particularly troublesome. In fact, there are several recommended alternatives if you have a history of problems with it.

Notably, the federal government’s Vaccine Injury Table does not list allergic reactions as compensable. As of 2022, only vasovagal syncope or shoulder injuries have eligibility for claims.

What Is the Legal Process for a Vaccination Injury?

Even if the symptoms you experienced after your vaccine are not in the above list, you may still have a vaccination injury.

If you have sustained an injury from a vaccination in New Jersey, you should seek immediate medical attention. You should also seek a legal opinion as quickly as possible. A vaccine-related injury can result in extreme consequences that interfere with your life. Accordingly, you may be able to pursue financial compensation.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services maintains the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Hiring an experienced New Jersey legal professional can help determine if you qualify for compensation.

A lawyer can also explain your other legal options. For example, you could file a lawsuit against the vaccine manufacturer. In other cases, you may sue the healthcare professional who administered the vaccine.

The claims process is very complex. If you do not properly assert your claim, you may receive a denial and jeopardize your odds of receiving compensation. Generally, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey will make this and other decisions about your lawsuit.

Work With an Experienced Local Lawyer in New Jersey

The purpose of a vaccine is to improve your quality of life by keeping you healthy. Unfortunately, if you suffer an injury after a vaccination, your life may never be the same again.

While you may be able to receive financial compensation for your vaccine injury, the process is not easy. Therefore, hiring an experienced New Jersey vaccine injury attorney is essential. It will greatly impact the quality of assistance and settlement you may receive.

If you are looking to hire a vaccination injury lawyer, we are here for you. We can even help you connect with an attorney across New Jersey state lines.

Submit a request online or call us today at (866) 345-6784 to get in touch with an experienced lawyer in your area!

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