Washington, DCThe family of Hannah Poling, a young child who at the age of 18 months allegedly developed autism after receiving vaccines against nine diseases in one doctor's visit, has been awarded $1.5 million.
The case of Hannah Poling was in fact settled by the government in 2008, before going to court. The government then had the documents sealed. And, it has taken more than two years for both sides in the lawsuit to agree on just how much compensation Hannah should receive for her injuries.
Hannah was vaccinated in July 2000, against measles, mumps, rubella, polio, varicella, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, and Haemophilus influenzae. Her health reportedly declined rapidly following the vaccines, she stopped eating, developed high fevers, didn't respond when spoken to, started having screaming fits, and began to show signs of autism. In 2002 her family filed an autism claim in federal vaccine court.
This settlement is the first award of its kind. There are approximately 4,800 further autism cases awaiting disposition in federal vaccine court.