Reported
March 25, 2002
Vaccine Compensation
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Nearly every child in America receives
a series of vaccinations to protect against diseases like
diphtheria, measles and mumps. For most, the shot is routine and
harmless. For others, however, problems can arise. Here are
details on a government program to help children harmed by
vaccines.
On April 4, 1983, Janet Manley gave birth to a little girl.
She tells Ivanhoe, "Having Lee Ann as a baby was the biggest joy
of my life."
Janet never expected she would have only eight weeks with her
"big-eyed girl." Doctors called it SIDS. She believed it was the
vaccine Lee Ann had just hours earlier.
"She was just injected with a foreign substance. It only made
sense," says Janet.
Determined to be heard, Janet filed her case under the
Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. The government program
offers compensation for children with vaccine reactions.
Infectious disease specialist Ben Schwartz, M.D., of the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, tells
Ivanhoe, "Maybe about 1 out of 10 children would experience a
low-grade fever, and maybe a few out of a hundred, a higher
fever. More serious reactions are very, very rare."
To date, more than 2,600 victims have been compensated for
more than $1 billion.
After seven years, the legal system admitted Lee Ann's death
was from the vaccine. Janet was paid $250,000 but says the money
wasn't her goal -- acknowledgement was.
Janet says, "I thought if this could happen to my baby, it
could happen to somebody else's baby. And I didn't want anybody
else to have to go through that."
Today Janet says the problem is not the vaccines, but the
lack of information. And with the right knowledge no parent
should have to miss out on a child's love.
If you feel your child has been negatively impacted by a
vaccine, call (800) 338-2382 for more information on filing a
complaint. Also, Schwartz urges parents to talk to their doctors
to get all the information they can about vaccinations. And if
need be, just delay giving them. He believes in most cases, the
benefits of vaccines far outweigh the risks.
If you would like more information, please contact:
National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
Parklawn Building, Room 8A-46
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857
(800) 338-2382
http://www.hrsa.gov/bhpr/vicp