Health · 2026-10-22 · Morning briefing

Guinea-Bissau halts controversial US-backed infant vaccine trial

A controversial hepatitis B vaccine trial planned for newborns in Guinea-Bissau has been halted. The lead Danish researcher confirmed the study would not proceed after failing to secure necessary governmental approval. The project was to be funded with $1.6m from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and another $1.6m from private partners, including the Pershing Square Foundation.

The researchers hypothesised that the standard hepatitis B vaccine might dampen the overall mortality benefits of other live vaccines given at birth, a theory that vaccine expert Paul Offit dismissed as “fanciful”. Critics also deemed the trial unethical, as mothers who participated would have a 50% chance of their child being vaccinated, versus a 0% chance outside the study. Guinea-Bissau does not plan to offer the vaccine universally until 2028.

Prior to the official cancellation, Guinea-Bissau’s government had searched the researchers’ offices and seized their vaccine stocks. The World Health Organization continues to recommend the vaccine for all infants within 24 hours of birth. The lead researcher suggested the study was cancelled for challenging medical assumptions, but critics noted that Guinea-Bissau has a high incidence of the very disease the vaccine prevents.

Summary written by Cup of News with AI from the sources below. Check the originals for the full story.

Read the sources

• Controversial US-backed vaccine trial in African newborns halted

More stories in this edition

1. Missiles strike Kyiv hours after Russia signals peace talk readiness
2. Iran reports seven tankers damaged in Strait of Hormuz
3. Meta fined $25 billion over Facebook privacy practices
4. Philippines hikes key rate to 5.5% amid fuel inflation
5. North Korea to resume propaganda broadcasts into South Korea
6. China's benchmark stock index enters bear market
7. Typhoon Champi hits 185 mph, becoming 2026's strongest storm
8. UK trial tests diabetes and ADHD drugs for Alzheimer's
9. Cameroon rail disaster victims await justice a decade on

Read the whole edition