The term SIRVA refers to “Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration.” It is a serious and painful injury that is recognized by the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program as deserving of compensation when caused by certain types of vaccinations.
Sometimes the painful shoulder injury can be caused by the vaccine itself, and sometimes the injury is the result of the insertion of the syringe into the complex and compact anatomy of the shoulder, which causes lasting damage.
More and more SIRVA injuries are reported every year. One of the leading reasons, in addition to increased awareness, is that a greater number of people receive shoulder-injected vaccinations each year. Indeed, more than 150 million doses of just the flu vaccine were distributed last year, and more than 160 million doses have been distributed this year. And that is just accounting for flu shots.
The math is simple. The more people receiving the vaccinations, the higher the number of complications—although those complications continue to be extraordinarily rare thankfully.