Stand Up for Science blasts CDC plan to revive Guinea-Bissau vaccine study

Stand Up for Science is urging the CDC to abandon a previously canceled hepatitis B vaccine study in newborns in Guinea-Bissau, calling the trial unethical and harmful. The group says the move would revive a project it helped stop earlier this year after raising concerns about withheld care and research ethics.

Why it matters: - The dispute centers on a U.S.-funded study involving newborns in Guinea-Bissau and raises fresh questions about ethics, vulnerable populations and public trust in vaccine research. - Stand Up for Science says restarting the trial would put babies at risk and violate human rights. - The group frames the issue as part of a broader fight over anti-vaccine influence in federal health policy.

What happened: - Stand Up for Science condemned reported CDC plans to move forward with a previously canceled hepatitis B vaccine study in newborns in Guinea-Bissau. - Founder and CEO Dr. Colette Delawalla said the organization would work to stop the study again. - The study was first announced in late 2025 and was intended to examine whether the hepatitis B vaccine dose given at birth had any negative health effects. - The trial was funded by U.S. taxpayers.

The details: - The birth-dose hepatitis B vaccine has been used safely for decades. - In January, Stand Up for Science sent an investigator to Guinea-Bissau to examine the study. - After that investigation and expert analysis, the trial was canceled. - Stand Up for Science said the study protocol included major ethical problems, including withholding a proven intervention. - Delawalla called the study “unethical” and said the effort reflected “dangerous anti-vax beliefs.” - The organization said it is exploring all possible actions to prevent the study from happening. - Delawalla said she is available for comment and media appearances.

Between the lines: - The fight is about more than one trial. It also reflects a broader clash over how far U.S. health officials should go in testing claims that challenge long-settled vaccine science. - The organization is tying the Guinea-Bissau case to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s history of anti-vaccine activism, signaling that it sees the study as politically and ideologically driven. - Stand Up for Science argues that research on infants in a low-income country demands a higher ethical bar because the population is especially vulnerable. - The group also pointed to Kennedy’s 2019 push against measles vaccination in Samoa, which was followed by a major outbreak.

What’s next: - Stand Up for Science says it will keep pursuing action to block the study. - The CDC has not publicly detailed any revised study plan in the release. - The issue is likely to remain a flashpoint as advocates press for transparency on any federal role in reviving the trial.

The bottom line: - The controversy pits vaccine research against ethics concerns, with Stand Up for Science saying the CDC should not restart a study it believes was already stopped for good reason.