Experts fear unethical' vaccine trial in Africa is prototype' for US studies under RFK Jr

"We are fearful that this is a prototype for other studies. The US could fund global studies with the similar ethical concerns as the Tuskegee experiment five or 10 or 100 times a year. It could be extraordinarily deadly."

"The study in Guinea-Bissau would have looked at the overall health effects of giving hepatitis B vaccines by only vaccinating half of the newborns in the study at birth despite an 18% prevalence rate in adults of the illness, which can lead to serious and sometimes fatal health consequences."

"Danish researchers behind the now-suspended hepatitis B vaccine trial have run Bandim in Guinea-Bissau for 48 years, but they are now facing new questions about their previous work—most recently, a study published in Vaccine detailing several instances where the researchers appeared to conduct studies and then release partial results or none at all."

Stand Up for Science investigated a suspended hepatitis B vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau conducted by Danish researchers at the Bandim Health Project, which has operated for 48 years. The study design withheld vaccines from half of newborns despite an 18% hepatitis B prevalence rate in adults, raising serious ethical concerns. The organization presented findings to Congress, warning that this trial may serve as a prototype for future studies under Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now secretary of HHS. Previous research by these Danish scientists has faced scrutiny for releasing partial or no results. Experts fear similar ethically questionable studies could be funded globally under the new administration, potentially repeating historical injustices like the Tuskegee experiment.

Read at www.theguardian.com