The boy, then 12 years of age, was given an injection of the Pandemrix vaccine at school in 2009 and was diagnosed with narcolepsy and associated cataplexy the following year. Along with the illness, the boy also began exhibiting aggressive behaviour, breaking windows in the family's home and causing damage to furnishings.
The District Court of Central Finland has now ordered the state to pay the boy's father 47,000 euros to cover the costs of damage caused by his son’s aggressive outbursts and court costs in the case.
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health intends to appeal the verdict.
"The ruling stressed that this is an individual and exceptional case, and so strict responsibility was imposed. I know of no other [medical] case in which damages have been suffered by a third party. This is indeed one of the worst incidents that have taken place," Jaana Koski, Administrative Director-General at the Social Affairs and Health Ministry, told Yle.
The news was first reported on Thursday by the newspaper Keskisuomalainen.