The government of Guinea-Bissau has shut down a controversial hepatitis B vaccine study funded by the administration of former U.S. president Donald Trump, following mounting ethical and scientific concerns.
Foreign Minister Joao Bernardo Vieira confirmed this week that the proposed research had been terminated, saying the decision was informed by objections from the scientific community and U.S. lawmakers.
“It’s not going to happen, period,” Vieira said.
The prospective trial had aimed to evaluate possible side effects of the life-saving hepatitis B vaccine, including unproven claims linking vaccines to autism. The design drew criticism because only half of the newborns enrolled would have received the vaccine at birth, while the rest would follow the current schedule of receiving it at six weeks.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the approach as unethical, warning that withholding early protection in a country with high infection rates could put infants at serious risk.
The study was to be carried out by the Bandim Health Project, operated by the University of Southern Denmark, and would have enrolled 14,000 newborns to examine what researchers called potential “non-specific effects,” including skin and neurodevelopmental conditions.
Currently, Guinea-Bissau administers the hepatitis B vaccine at six weeks of age, with plans to introduce a birth dose only in 2028. Health experts say this delay leaves many infants vulnerable, particularly those born to infected mothers.
According to Johns Hopkins University, around 90% of babies exposed to hepatitis B at birth or within their first year develop chronic infection, and up to a quarter may die early from liver-related complications.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had approved a $1.6 million grant for the study after U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. withdrew a longstanding recommendation that all American infants receive the vaccine at birth a move that has drawn widespread criticism from public health experts.
Lead investigator Frederik Schaltz-Buchholzer said the debate had become politicised, warning that cancelling research could undermine trust in vaccines and scientific work. He added that the team hopes to submit a revised proposal in the future.
For now, authorities say public health protections will take precedence over experimentation a decision many observers view as placing child safety squarely ahead of controversy.