Advocates from Taiwan Women’s Link yesterday urged the Ministry of Health and Welfare not to appeal a court ruling awarding compensation to a girl who reported experiencing an adverse reaction after receiving a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.
Taiwan Women’s Link secretary-general Huang Sue-ying (黃淑英) said her organization had received reports from more than 30 women who said they experienced pain and other symptoms following the vaccination, and 25 of them were between the ages of 11 and 16.
“Of these, 12 were subsequently diagnosed as having rheumatoid arthritis and related symptoms... They have requested financial assistance from the ministry, and most have filed suits regarding their conditions,” Huang told a news conference in the legislature in Taipei.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
A plaintiff identified only as “Nicole” filed a suit against the ministry saying she was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis after receiving an HPV vaccine, Huang said.
A court ruled in her favor last month after two-and-a-half-years of hearings, she said.
However, the ministry in the coming days could launching an appeal, as it had in other cases, Huang said, urging it not to.
One of the first cases concerning adverse reactions to an HPV vaccination was filed by a girl identified as “Bella” in 2007, she said.
The court in 2019 ruled in favor of Bella, but the ministry appealed, she said.
“The Taipei High Administrative Court overturned the first ruling, sending it back for a retrial, and the case is still pending today,” she said.
In another suit, a girl identified as “Sharon” said that she developed juvenile rheumatoid arthritis after receiving an HPV vaccine, but lost her first ruling in 2020, which she appealed, Huang said.
“Mina,” who also said she had developed rheumatoid arthritis after receiving a vaccine, filed for appeal after losing in a first ruling earlier this year, she added.
Huang said that the teenagers in these cases were in good health until they received HPV vaccines, after which they developed “painful conditions,” and have still received no answers.
They are experiencing long-term physical pain and mental trauma, while they await court rulings, she said.
“We’d like to ask the ministry not to file an appeal against these victims and not to fight against our own citizens,” she said.
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