Saturday, January 24, 2026-A highly controversial U.S.-backed vaccine trial aimed at newborns in Guinea-Bissau has been paused, marking a major setback for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s agenda and raising urgent questions about ethical oversight in global health research.
The study, funded through a $1.6 million grant and backed by Kennedy, was designed to evaluate the timing and effects of the hepatitis B vaccine by comparing babies vaccinated at birth with those vaccinated six weeks later. But Guinea-Bissau’s health ministry and the Africa Centres for Disease Control have halted the project for an emergency ethical review, citing that the nation’s ethics committee never properly reviewed the research before approval and expressing deep concern about withholding a proven life-saving vaccine from infants in a high-risk setting.
The abrupt block shines a spotlight on the tension between scientific ambition and ethical standards, with local authorities asserting their right to safeguard the health of their children and insisting on robust oversight. Critics of the trial argue that it contravenes global public health norms by potentially delaying a vaccine that prevents chronic liver disease and cancer in a region where hepatitis B is common, framing the study as both scientifically questionable and morally problematic. The Africa CDC’s support for the ethical review underscores a growing demand for research that aligns with African health priorities rather than external agendas.
For policymakers, researchers, and global health advocates, the suspension signals a critical inflection point. As debates intensify over how and where vaccine research should proceed, particularly in vulnerable populations, stakeholders are watching how Guinea-Bissau’s decision will reshape future collaborations and ethical frameworks. The outcome could influence not only this specific trial’s fate but broader international research practices, urging transparency, respect for local governance, and a renewed commitment to protecting infant health worldwide.
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