Vaccines and Autism Revisited — The Hannah Poling Case

Hannah Poling was diagnosed with encephalopathy caused by a mitochondrial enzyme deficit. Her parents believed that vaccines had triggered her encephalopathy, and they sued the Department of Health and Human Services for compensation under the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program and won. Dr. Paul Offit writes that the Poling case is best understood in the context of the decision-making process of this unusual vaccine court.