Guinea-Bissau, African CDC Pause 14,000-Newborn Hepatitis B Study Over Ethics Concerns
Updated
Updated · WIRED · May 18
Guinea-Bissau, African CDC Pause 14,000-Newborn Hepatitis B Study Over Ethics Concerns
2 articles · Updated · WIRED · May 18
Guinea-Bissau and the African CDC halted a Danish-led trial that planned to withhold a hepatitis B birth dose from half of 14,000 newborns while authorities review its ethics.
The pause centers on a study backed by $1.6 million from HHS, even though the vaccine is about 90% effective and roughly 1 in 5 adults in Guinea-Bissau carry hepatitis B.
Public Health Minister Quinhin Nantote said in January he had no evidence the six-member ethics committee that approved the trial had ever met, and the University of Southern Denmark also raised concerns.
The suspension lands as Danish scientists and a national misconduct board scrutinize Peter Aaby and Christine Stabell Benn's broader vaccine research, including claims that standard DTP shots raise child mortality.
Their work has gained influence in Washington: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cited one of their papers while cutting or freezing more than $3.2 billion tied to Gavi funding and vaccine policy.
After a controversial study withheld vaccines from 7,000 newborns, what becomes of the children and the researchers?
A Danish duo’s disputed theory slashed global vaccine funds. Is this maverick science or a dangerous public health gamble?
Paused Hepatitis B Vaccine Study in Guinea-Bissau: Ethical Breaches, U.S. Policy Controversy, and Lessons for Global Health Research
Overview
In May 2026, the U.S.-funded hepatitis B vaccine study in Guinea-Bissau was paused, sparking an immediate ethical crisis and international condemnation. The study, meant to explore vaccine effects, instead highlighted deep concerns about its oversight and implementation. This controversy exposed long-standing tensions in African clinical research, where external political pressures and fragmented oversight can sideline local health priorities. African scientists pointed to the Guinea-Bissau case as an example of how such factors undermine ethical standards, emphasizing the urgent need for robust, transparent frameworks that protect vulnerable communities and ensure research truly serves their needs.