The World Health Organization (WHO), a pair of articles recently published in The BMJ have revealed, is sponsoring an experimental study of a controversial malaria vaccine among African children without obtaining informed consent from parents.

Data from prior clinical trials of the vaccine, manufactured by the British multinational pharmaceutical corporation GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), have shown it to be associated with an increased risk of clinical malaria after four years, a tenfold increased risk of meningitis, an increased risk of cerebral malaria (in which the parasitic organisms block the flow of blood to the brain, causing swelling and potential brain damage), and an increased risk of death that was disproportionately higher for female children.

Concerningly, apart from failing to properly inform parents about the risks or even letting parents know that their children are being experimented upon, the WHO intends to make a decision based on this trial about whether to recommend the vaccine for routine use throughout sub-Saharan Africa after just twenty-four months of study, which is not enough time to determine the vaccine’s effect on mortality.

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Toni always said that the secret to staying young and enjoying life to the fullest is to learn new things, and we hope to provide a space for the community to do that in a way that honors Toni’s values, hobbies, interests, and guiding principles. We also plan to host charitable events every so often to raise funds for local Evanston and Chicagoland nonprofits doing work that Toni would have supported.

The tentative name so far is the Toni Bark Memorial Foundation. I can’t think of a better way for myself, my family, Toni’s friends, and our community to band together and honor my Mom’s unrelenting dedication to spreading love, knowledge, and being a positive force in the world.

TONI BARK MEMORIAL PAGE