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What is the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program?

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There is a lot of debate about the safety of vaccines, especially as they pertain to infants and children. Parents want to protect their children from harm, but some of them ask themselves, “What’s more dangerous, the vaccine or the disease?”

Vaccine companies contend that vaccines prevent dangerous diseases, some of which are deadly. Vaccine manufacturers, along with large government entities, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) argue that vaccines reduce children’s risk of infection by helping their bodies “safely” develop immunity to diseases.

“Serious side effects after vaccination, such as severe allergic reaction, are very rare and doctors and clinic staff are trained to deal with them. Pay extra attention to your child for a few days after vaccination. If you see something that concerns you, call your child’s doctor,” advises the CDC’s website.

When Serious Side Effects Occur

Some people do experience serious side effects after receiving vaccines and a lot of those injured are infants, toddlers, and young children. Here’s one mom’s story: “And then the nurse gave my son that shot. And I remember going, ‘Oh, God, no!’ And soon thereafter I noticed a change. The soul was gone from his eyes,” Jenny McCarthy said on Oprah.

Unfortunately, there are countless parents across the nation who have similar stories to Ms. McCarthy’s, many of which led to the development of the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), which is described as a “no-fault alternative to the traditional tort system,” according to the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA). The VICP compensates individuals who are injured by certain vaccines known to cause harm, such as Varicella and Hepatitis B vaccines, and those containing:

  • Tetanus toxoid
  • Whole cell pertussis bacteria
  • The measles, mumps, and rubella virus (e.g. MMR and MMRV)
  • The polio virus

To see the Vaccine Injury Table, click here.

“Like the first vaccine for smallpox, every vaccine recommended today by government health officials and medical trade associations carries a risk for complications, such as brain inflammation, which can lead to chronic brain and immune system damage or death,” according to the National Vaccine Information Center.

Have you, or someone you love been injured by a vaccine? If so, contact the Law Office of James R. Snell, Jr., LLC immediately to discuss filing a claim for compensation.