Informed with Aaron Siri Neurologist Speaks Out
Feb 23, 2026
Dr. Russell Surasky, double board-certified in neurology and preventive medicine, shares rare clinical encounters with severe post-vaccine neurological events. He recounts dramatic bedside cases, explains immune cross-reactivity and diagnostic challenges, and critiques failures in adverse-event reporting and surveillance systems. He calls for better recognition, reporting, and individualized risk discussions.
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First Night Diagnosis Saved A Patient After Flu Shot
- Dr. Russell Surasky described his first on-call night as a neurology resident where he diagnosed Guillain-Barré in a 30-something who had a flu shot 12–13 days earlier and stopped inappropriate stroke treatment.
- He rushed the patient to IVIG and ultimately the patient recovered with no neurological deficits after intubation and treatment.
Systemic Barriers Drive Underreporting To VAERS
- Surasky observed that neurologists routinely saw post-vaccine neuroinflammatory cases yet colleagues rarely reported them to VAERS because of time, liability fears, and institutional disincentives.
- He concluded these systemic reporting disincentives likely produce heavily distorted safety data nationwide.
Adolescent Caught Up On Vaccines Developed ADEM
- Surasky recounted a severe case: a 13-year-old received multiple catch-up vaccines and within days developed acute demyelinating encephalomyelitis, lighting up MRI 'like a Christmas tree.'
- He detailed urgent use of MRI with contrast, plasmapheresis or IVIG, and the catastrophic outcomes he sometimes witnessed.
