Why Guinea-Bissau halted a controversial hepatitis vaccine trial for babies
News Source
β’Thu, 05 Nov 2026 15:01:35 +0000
π° What Happened
Guinea-Bissau has reportedly halted a US-funded trial of hepatitis B vaccines in babies. The trial was meant to compare babies who got the shot at birth with babies who got it six weeks later. Some 14,000 babies were involved. Experts criticised the plan because one group would not get the lifesaving vaccine at birth.
A researcher on the project said it failed to win the government approval it needed. That researcher called the end of the trial a significant setback for African science.
π The Backstory
Hepatitis B can pass from mother to child at birth and can cause liver disease later in life. The World Health Organization recommends a first dose within 24 hours of birth.
In mid-October, Guinea-Bissau's judicial police raided the research group's offices in the capital, Bissau, and seized vaccine batches. Officials have not commented publicly. Police said they are still checking whether the trial met the country's safety rules.
π― Why It Matters
It raises hard questions about how foreign-funded medical research is checked, and who protects the poorest patients when a study goes wrong.
Guinea-Bissau has reportedly halted a US-funded trial of hepatitis B vaccines in babies. The trial was meant to compare babies who got the shot at birth with babies who got it six weeks later. Some 14,000 babies were involved. Experts criticised the plan because one group would not get the lifesaving vaccine at birth.
A researcher on the project said it failed to win the government approval it needed. That researcher called the end of the trial a significant setback for African science.
Hepatitis B can pass from mother to child at birth and can cause liver disease later in life. The World Health Organization recommends a first dose within 24 hours of birth.
In mid-October, Guinea-Bissau's judicial police raided the research group's offices in the capital, Bissau, and seized vaccine batches. Officials have not commented publicly. Police said they are still checking whether the trial met the country's safety rules.
It raises hard questions about how foreign-funded medical research is checked, and who protects the poorest patients when a study goes wrong.