Guinea-Bissau’s transitional government has denied authorising a proposed clinical trial involving the hepatitis B vaccine in newborns, amid growing concerns over the ethics of withholding an established preventive vaccine from infants.
Health Minister Quinhin Nantote said at a press conference in the capital, Bissau, on Tuesday that the government had not approved the study.
The proposed trial, reportedly funded by the administration of US President Donald Trump, has drawn criticism from scientists over its ethical implications. Critics warn that some newborns could be denied vaccination at birth, potentially leaving them vulnerable to hepatitis B infection.
The virus can be transmitted from an infected mother to her child during childbirth and can cause chronic liver disease, liver failure and liver cancer.
The study’s stated aim was to examine potential non-specific effects of vaccines, including skin and neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, according to details published online.
