Latest news with #Barke
AFP
2 hours ago
- Health
- AFP
Video misleads about safety of 6-in-1 vaccine Vaxelis
"A new vaccine is on the market for your 6 week old baby! It's never been tested against a placebo or for carcinogenic effects," claims a May 19, 2025 Instagram post from a Canadian content creator who regularly posts against vaccination. She is one of several creators who stitched their reactions next to a video with thousands of interactions from Jeffrey Barke, a founding member of America's Frontline Doctors -- a group AFP has repeatedly fact-checked. In the video, Barke reads from the package insert for Vaxelis, a shot given to simultaneously prevent infections caused by pertussis, diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis, Haemophilus influenzae type b, and hepatitis B (archived here). "Studies that brought this product to market -- there is not a single randomized controlled study with an inert placebo. It's only tested against other vaccinations," he says, implying this is cause for concern. Image Screenshot of Instagram reels taken on June 3, 2025 Similar claims also appeared on X in French, German, Spanish and Croatian, spreading as officials with the US Department of Health and Human Services under Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. aim to shift the way vaccines are tested and approved. The posts also come as experts say vaccine misinformation is rampant online and may be contributing to falling vaccination rates across the United States and Canada (archived here and here). Vaxelis is not new, however. The US Food and Drug Administration first approved the joint venture of pharmaceutical companies Sanofi Pasteur and Merck for children six weeks through four years of age in December 2018 (archived here and here). It is also administered in Europe (archived here). Kelly Moore, president and CEO of the nonprofit co-authored the policy statement for Vaxelis from the US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a panel of experts that makes recommendations about the childhood vaccinations schedule (archived here). "It's an excellent vaccine," she told AFP in a June 2 email. In February 2019, the ACIP reported that Vaxelis was subjected to six clinical studies involving more than 5,000 infants six to 12 weeks of age (archived here). It said the studies showed Vaxelis "had an acceptable safety profile that is consistent with its component vaccines." Placebo testing Barke is correct that Vaxelis was not tested against an inert placebo. But experts said there is reason for that: it would have been unethical to do so. Clinical trial participants must be offered the existing standard of care, Moore said. It would be "entirely unethical" to withhold existing vaccines while testing a combination product that contains components already routinely given in those separate shots, she said. The World Health Organization has also pushed back against calls for changes to vaccination testing. "The safety of vaccines is held to an extremely high standard," WHO vaccine chief Kate O'Brien said May 1, 2025 (archived here). O'Brien stressed that the "gold standard" process calls for placebo testing when developing vaccines against diseases for which no immunization options exist. But when vaccines are developed to cover new strains or to offer a combination shot against multiple viruses, they are generally tested to see if they are as or more effective than the existing shots. O'Brien said it would also be unethical to give test subjects a placebo in place of "vaccines that are life-saving that are already licensed." Combination vaccines Barke further misleads by misinterpreting section 13.1 of the package insert, which says that Vaxelis was not evaluated for "carcinogenic or mutagenic potential or impairment of fertility." The language appears in documents for many routine vaccines, US health care group Novant Health explains on its website (archived here). "This merely means that there was no need for further testing because toxicology studies conducted at the preclinical phase showed no signs of adverse effects from the vaccine or its individual components," it says. There are also specific guidelines and rules for when a manufacturer needs to perform fertility studies. With a shot approved for use only in populations under five years old, studies in pregnant animals would not take place, said Kathryn Edwards, an expert in vaccinology at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (archived here). "These vaccines have been used individually for decades in millions of people that there has not been a signal for infertility and no biologic reason why you would be concerned," she said in a June 4 email. Six-in-one shots, including Vaxelis, were developed to lower the number of injections for children, "reduce the burden of handling multiple different separate vaccines and to ensure timely administration of all the needed vaccines," Edwards said. The Canadian Paediatric Society and the Canadian National Advisory Committee on Immunization currently recommend children receive 5-in-1 or 6-in-1 vaccines (archived here and here). After a vaccine is approved, its safety continues to be monitored. "Combination vaccines have been shown to be no more reactive than separate vaccines, and no long term complications have been seen with combination vaccines," Edwards said. Such products have several advantages, including increased coverage rates, reduced need for additional health care visits and lower costs for distributing the product, according to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (archived here). Adverse effects Barke's video highlights the potential risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome -- a condition in which the body's immune system attacks the nerves, sometimes causing temporary paralysis. He also points to apnea, which is a pause in breathing, as a risk. But Edwards said Guillain-Barré syndrome is "very rare in children." Cedars Sinai Hospital says on its website that most children diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome "recover fully with no complications" (archived here). Rachel Greenberg, associate professor of pediatrics at Duke University School of Medicine, researched apnea risks when vaccinating premature infants (archived here). "While there is a temporary increased risk of apnea after vaccination, the risk posed by vaccine-preventable respiratory and other infections to unvaccinated infants is far higher," she said in a press release about her January 2025 study (archived here). The most common side effects reported following a shot of Vaxelis are pain or swelling at the injection site and fever (archived here). Melody Butler, founding executive director of Nurses Who Vaccinate, said parents weighing the risk of rare, serious adverse events should remember how many children still die from vaccine-preventable diseases (archived here). "We've become so spoiled that we don't even know what these diseases do to the human body," she told AFP June 4. "We're very fortunate that we don't see these diseases firsthand." Ingredients Barke's video also targets the vaccine's ingredients, a tactic regularly deployed by activists who claim, without evidence, that immunizations are dangerous. In particular, he questions aluminum and formaldehyde. Aluminum is naturally found in the environment, and humans ingest it through drinking water and some foods, including breast milk and infant formula. Aluminum boosts immune response, reducing the amount of vaccine required to provide immunity (archived here). Aluminum-containing vaccines have been used for decades and have been administered to more than one billion people without problem, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) says on its website (archived here). Formaldehyde, meanwhile, is "essential in human metabolism" and can be found in all humans, according to CHOP (archived here). It is used in vaccines to help prevent bacterial contamination during manufacturing (archived here). "There's more formaldehyde in a single apple or pear than in a vaccine," Butler said, dismissing the residual amounts passed to the body during vaccination as "negligible." Read more of AFP's reporting on vaccine misinformation here.
BBC News
12-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Bristol's 'Burmese python' fighting for equality in the ring
A British woman who made history as a leading competitor in Burmese Bareknuckle Boxing is calling for equal opportunities for women in combat Barke, 31, who studied at the University of the West of England (UWE) in Bristol, is ranked number two in the world in Lethwei - an intense form of Burmese martial the ring, she is known as the "Burmese Python," a name that nods to both her mother's heritage and her fearless fighting Barke has carved out a place at the top of one of the world's most brutal sports - a discipline that allows headbutts, punches, kicks, knees, elbows, and no gloves. "Lethwei has taught me to manage my mindset," said Ms Barke. "Instead of feeling like the underdog and seeing the male-dominated environment as a negative, I flipped it on its head."I thought, 'I've got an opportunity to represent lots of other women who are going to be coming through.'" Ms Barke's journey into martial arts began at university, a far cry from her childhood training in ballet. Her nickname, the "Burmese Python," was coined early on - a symbol of both her cultural roots and her coiled, aggressive energy in the 2020, she was invited to compete in Myanmar - the birthplace of Lethwei. Arriving in her mother's ancestral home, she was stunned to see her face on billboards around the country."Competing in Myanmar was surreal," she said. "I look back and think, wow, I'm really proud to have done that."People don't realise how much courage it takes to step into the ring - especially in a sport as brutal as this," she explained. Ms Barke juggles professional boxing with her demanding career in banking, where she oversees a team of a respected name in boxing, Ms Barke is using her platform to call for gender equality in combat sports."Whether it's about getting the same opportunities or even just equal pay as a female athlete - we're still not there," she said. "I speak to male fighters who've never had to negotiate or fight for fair salaries."Her path has not been without struggle. Born with narcolepsy, Ms Barke has survived a near-fatal car crash, battled post-traumatic stress disorder, and in 2023 was diagnosed with a brain tumour. However, she was told the tumour was benign, and she has continued to train and alongside fighting, she's turned to coaching, with a focus on helping women realise their potential - both in sport and in the workplace."In my job, I see women who want to progress but don't feel like they have a valued voice or an authentic path forward," she said. "That's why I'm so passionate about coaching. We need more inspiring, authentic leaders fighting for change."
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Traditional or innovative? Connecticut flower shops offer it all for Valentine's Day
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Valentine's Day is one of the two busiest times of year for the floral industry. It's a crucial time to make money, and nobody knows that better than the family running House of Flora Flower Market. Flowers are in their blood. New Haven encourages people to shop local this Valentine's Day 'My grandparents had a flower shop in New Britain and my great-grandparents had greenhouses in Cromwell,' said Tracy Barke, who is running much of the business now. Her father, Richard Brancifort, opened the current shop on New Britain Avenue in Hartford 50 years ago. He still comes in to design and make arrangements. He knows from experience that it takes months to prepare for Valentine's. 'My daughter Tracy did a lot of planning for Valentine's Day, which we start in November,' Brancifort said. 'And sometimes earlier than that.' Price fears for chocolatiers: Cocoa costs leave bitter taste for Valentine's Day It starts months before that at the South American farms where many of these flowers are grown. Many travel thousands of miles by plane and then truck before they wind up wrapped in paper and handed to your sweetheart. Believe it or not, there are innovations in flowers for Valentine's Day. House of Flora is selling a bouquet that looks like it is made out of chocolate, but they are actually real roses covered in wax. They last a long time. As cool as those are, the real hot item for Valentine's Day this year is glitter roses. 'Glitter roses are huge here in Hartford now,' Barke said. 'We brought the glitter roses in about three years ago. I have blue, gold, red.' Crush of Valentine's Day flowers: Nearly a billion go through this city to you She also has roses that somehow have hearts inside the petals. These are flowers designed to send a message. To speak to people. 'Tell the people you love that you love them. Show them the way, make the memory, make it last,' Barke said. 'With flowers, it changes your heart. It changes your eyes. Your eyes light up when you see them.' She said deliveries are all booked up, but there are still plenty of flowers, chocolates, and balloons ready for last minute shoppers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
BBC News
29-01-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Mock sign fitted to Chelmsford viaduct after boat situation
A tongue-in-cheek road sign has been fitted to the side of a railway viaduct where a £1m yacht was wrongly suspected of getting of the 15m (50 ft) vessel passing through arches on the A1060 in Chelmsford city centre last April were posted online and viewed hundreds of thousands of company that transported the boat said it did not get stuck, it was simply passing through Highways urged against unofficial road signs being installed. "We're aware of the unofficial sign that was placed on the viaduct," an Essex Highways spokesperson added."We kindly urge the public to not install unofficial signs, as they can mislead people and cause confusion."James Barke, joint managing director of the Essex-based boat dealership that transported the vessel, said he saw the funny side of the sign being fitted."Anything that makes people laugh in January is a good thing - and anything to do with boats is fun anyway," he said."I don't condone people putting up unofficial road signs but someone in Chelmsford clearly has a great sense of humour." Mr Barke said no damage was caused to the yacht as it passed through the arches, and that there was a 5cm (2 inch) clearance either side of the viaduct was built between 1840 and 1843 and is used by Greater Anglia trains heading in and out of Chelmsford. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
