A court in Italy has recognized the link between the Covid vaccine and a serious illness

The Turin Court of Appeal has confirmed one of the most discussed decisions of recent years in Italy: there is a causal relationship between vaccination against Covid-19 and the development of severe transverse myelitis in a 57-year-old woman.

Thus, the public "Anton Gross / Immigration to Italy" reports, the court finally recognized the victim's right to state compensation for damage related to vaccination.

We are talking about a saleswoman of tobacco products from Alba, who, after the introduction of two doses of the vaccine, faced a severe neurological complication that deprived her of the ability to walk normally. Back in 2025, the Asti court in the first instance recognized the existence of a link between vaccination and the disease, obliging the Ministry of Health and AIFA to pay statutory compensation. The State challenged the decision, but the appeal was rejected.

In its decision, the Turin Court of Appeal relied on a forensic medical examination conducted in the first instance. The judges stressed that the conclusions of the experts remain well-founded and do not require a new check. Especially important was the conclusion that the presence of an autoimmune condition in a woman does not cancel the connection with vaccination.

"The autoimmune condition was not an alternative cause, but only a possible predisposition to the development of an immune—mediated phenomenon after vaccination," the court said in its decision.

The Court also noted:

• the temporal relationship between vaccination and disease,
• absence of similar problems earlier,
• absence of other convincing causal factors.

It was on the basis of the principle of "predominance of probability" that the causal relationship was confirmed.

The case takes on special significance not only because of the decision itself, but also because of the legal context. In 2022, Italy officially extended the system of compensation for damage from mandatory vaccination to Covid-19 vaccines. That is, we are not talking about recognizing the "illegality" of vaccination, but about the legal principle according to which even drugs that are recognized as safe and necessary at the public level can in rare cases cause severe side effects for which the state is obliged to bear responsibility.

Over the past two years, about 36 thousand lawsuits have been filed in Italy and other European countries related to alleged complications after vaccination. At the same time, the proportion of cases where the courts recognize the existence of a causal relationship varies from 11% to 30%, depending on the country and the specific situation.

Despite the court's decision, the Italian authorities and European regulators continue to emphasize that the overall benefits of mass vaccination against Covid significantly exceeded the risks of rare complications. However, such processes inevitably return the public discussion to the issue of transparency of pharmacovigilance, medical responsibility and support for those who have faced severe consequences.