Why a US-funded vaccine trial on babies was cancelled in Guinea-Bissau

The trial was funded by the US, under Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has a long record of expressing scepticism about vaccines.

Police have seized a batch of vaccines from the research centre at the heart of the controversy.

The proposed trial drew international criticism because it planned to withhold a vaccine recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) from half of the participating newborns.

Some public health experts argued that the proposed trial raised broader questions about whether vulnerable populations in African countries were being asked to take risks that researchers would not accept in wealthier countries.

The study was planned at the Bandim Health Project, a research centre that has operated in Guinea-Bissau since 1978.

Previous studies in The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau have raised questions about a possible link to increased mortality.

But critics questioned the ethics of withholding the vaccine from some babies, particularly in one of the world's poorest countries, where the infection is widespread.

The Trump administration funded the proposed study, with the CDC awarding the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) $1.6m (£1.2m) in December 2025.

Kaynak: BBC News Health RSS (Açık Basın / Haber Servisi)