Pregnant After Receiving Flu Vaccine Instead of Contraceptive Pill... US Government to Pay $11 Billion Compensation

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] In the United States, a woman who became pregnant after receiving a flu shot instead of a contraceptive injection due to a nurse's mistake has been awarded $10 million (approximately 11.07 billion KRW) in compensation by the government.

According to the Seattle Times on the 17th (local time), the Western District Federal Court of Washington recently ruled that the federal government must pay $7.5 million to the woman's child and $2.5 million to the woman and the child's father, respectively.

The woman, who came to the U.S. as an El Salvadoran refugee at age 16, visited a hospital in Seattle in 2011 to receive a contraceptive injection called "Depo-Provera." This injection is known to be effective only when administered consistently every three months.

However, on that day, the nurse in charge of the woman did not properly check her medical records and administered a flu vaccine instead of the Depo-Provera injection.

The woman only realized she had received the wrong injection when she contacted the hospital two months later to schedule her next dose.

The child, now eight years old, was born with a rare brain malformation called "bilateral Sylvian fissure perisylvian polymicrogyria."

The child has an intelligence quotient (IQ) of 70 and suffers from complications such as cognitive delay, epilepsy, and vision impairment.

Since the hospital receives federal funding and treats low-income and uninsured patients, the court held the federal government liable for compensation.

The woman's attorney stated, "The child's parents are pleased to receive support for the astronomical medical and educational expenses," but criticized the government for initially denying responsibility and only acknowledging it belatedly.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.