Settlement for boy who claimed he developed sleep disorder after Swine Flu vaccine

Another High Court action alleging that the Pandemrix swine flu vaccine triggered narcolepsy has been settled without admission of liability, reports John Whelan.

Settlement was reached in the High Court last week in a case involving a teenager who claimed he developed narcolepsy and cataplexy after receiving the Pandemrix vaccine while he was at national school in 2010.

The boy, through his mother, had sued the Minister for Health, the HSE and Glaxosmithkline Biologicals SA (GSK), producer of Pandemrix.

The case was settled without admission of liability.

Benefits that the boy will receive under the settlement include educational supports, accommodation costs in relation to third level education, a medical card and childcare costs.

The amount of the Settlement is to be put before the High Court at a later date.

As previously discussed on this website, Pandemrix was one of two vaccine brands used during the 2009/2010 pandemic influenza vaccination campaign when there were fears that swine flu could kill up to 80,000 people in Europe.

According to The Irish Times (Wednesday 4 November, 2020), last week’s settlement could pave the way for the resolution of other cases with “the same settlement terms available to the children and young adults who have similar cases pending before the High Court in relation to the vaccine”.

RTE (Wednesday 4 November, 2020) reported that any financial compensation received as part of these settlements will be disregarded when assessing a person's means for eligibility for State supports such as medical cards, exam fees and student accommodation costs.

If you are affected and require further information or advice, please contact John Whelan for assistance.