Stand Up for Science Condemns CDC’s Attempts to Restart Controversial Vaccine Study in Guinea-Bissau

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, October 8, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Following reports that the CDC intends to move forward with a previously-canceled study of the Hepatitis B vaccine in newborns in Guinea-Bissau, Stand Up for Science Founder and CEO Dr. Colette Delawalla released the following statement:

“Not on our watch. We stopped this unethical study the first time and we’ll do it again. These are innocent babies and the last thing they need is RFK, Jr. doing another of his pet project experiments on them in pursuit of ‘evidence’ to support his dangerous anti-vax beliefs. This is a gross violation of human rights and the use of bad science against some of the most vulnerable people in the world.”

First announced in late 2025, the U.S. taxpayer-funded trial intended to study whether the dose of Hepatitis B vaccine given to infants at birth had any potential negative health effects, despite the fact that the birth-dose vaccine has been used safely for decades.

In January of this year, Stand Up for Science sent an on-the-ground investigator to Guinea-Bissau to learn more about the study. The trial was cancelled after the investigation and expert analysis found the study protocol contained major ethical issues, including the withholding of a proven intervention.

This is not the first instance of Kennedy’s involvement with controversial anti-vax efforts on children in underdeveloped nations. In 2019, his efforts to discourage the measles vaccine in Samoa as then-chairman of the anti-vaccine nonprofit Children’s Health Defense was ultimately followed by an outbreak of thousands of measles cases, including deaths of children.

Stand Up for Science is exploring all possible actions at its disposal to prevent this study from happening.

Delawalla is available for comment and media appearances.

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Stand Up for Science is a grassroots, Washington, D.C. based, non-profit organization mobilizing the fight for science and democracy. Stand Up for Science was formed in February 2025 in response to actions affecting federal science agencies and funding of the American scientific ecosystem. On March 7th, Stand Up for Science mobilized over 50,000 people at 170+ events across the world on its first National Day of Action. Federal scientists across multiple agencies (NIH, EPA, NASA, FEMA) have chosen Stand Up for Science as the platform to publish their open letters of concern. Stand Up for Science is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization [EIN: 33-4154429] and donations are not tax-deductible.

Char Bowling
Stand Up for Science
media@standupforscience.net