Why is the US Funding a Questionable Hepatitis B Vaccine Study in Africa?

The US government is planning to spend $1. 6 million on a study in Guinea-Bissau, a country in West Africa where nearly one in five adults has hepatitis B. The study will look at whether giving the hepatitis B vaccine to newborns is safe and effective. But many researchers are calling this study unethical and risky. The study will be done by a group of researchers from Denmark who have been criticized before for their work on vaccines. In the past, they have published studies that suggest vaccines might be harmful, even when other studies show they are safe. The US government is now giving them money to do another study, even though the World Health Organization already recommends giving the hepatitis B vaccine to all babies at birth. The study will divide babies into two groups. One group will get the vaccine at birth, and the other group will not. The researchers will then compare the two groups to see if there are any differences in health outcomes. But many experts are worried about this approach. They say it is unethical to withhold a vaccine that has been proven to be safe and effective.Guinea-Bissau has a high rate of hepatitis B infection, and many babies are not getting the vaccine. The country plans to start recommending the vaccine for all newborns in 2027. But some experts are concerned that this study could delay that effort and make people distrust the vaccine. The US government has also cut funding for other vaccine programs around the world. This has raised questions about whether the US is really committed to global health. Some experts are worried that the US is using this study to justify its decision to cut funding for other vaccine programs. The study will be single-blinded, which means the patients will not know who got the vaccine and who didn’t, but the research team will. This can affect the way they collect and interpret the data. Some experts are also concerned that the study's endpoints are vague, which leaves the results open to manipulation. In the meantime, children in Guinea-Bissau and other countries will continue to be at risk of hepatitis B infection. The US government's decision to fund this study has raised many questions about its commitment to global health and the safety of vaccines.