Stand Up for Science publishes Guinea-Bissau vaccine trial investigation

Stand Up for Science has made public a March 2026 field report on a proposed CDC-backed newborn hepatitis B vaccine study in Guinea-Bissau after sharing it privately with Congress. The group says the report raises ethics, consent, and conflict-of-interest concerns as it pushes to stop the trial from restarting.

Why it matters: - The report adds fresh pressure to a controversial U.S.-funded vaccine study involving newborns in Guinea-Bissau. - The trial could shape public health policy, research ethics, and vaccine confidence well beyond Guinea-Bissau. - Stand Up for Science argues the study raises serious questions about vulnerable research subjects, oversight capacity, and taxpayer-funded science.

What happened: - Stand Up for Science made public a March 2026 Investigation Report on a proposed CDC-linked study in Guinea-Bissau. - The report had previously been shared only in Congressional briefings. - The group says the report is now available on the Stand Up for Science Foundation website. - The proposed study would examine whether the hepatitis B vaccine dose given at birth has negative health effects. - Stand Up for Science says CDC planned to fund the previously shelved trial after announcing plans in late 2025. - The group sent an investigator to Guinea-Bissau to assess the situation on the ground.

The details: - The report summarizes ethical concerns tied to the study protocol. - The report includes context on Guinea-Bissau, including political instability. - The investigation found that oversight bodies in Guinea-Bissau operate with severe resource constraints, according to Colette Delawalla, founder and CEO of Stand Up for Science. - Delawalla said the investigation also identified multiple conflicts of interest, plus concerns about ethics, consent, and transparency. - Delawalla said Stand Up for Science presented its findings to members of Congress and that the trial was stopped by the Guinea-Bissau government within 48 hours. - The report says the investigation relied on interviews with local researchers, former senior health officials, and other stakeholders, plus document review and direct observation. - The report says the investigator had decades of West Africa investigative journalism experience. - Stand Up for Science launched an action campaign this week to stop the trial from restarting. - The campaign includes a public petition and tools for contacting elected representatives in Congress. - Stand Up for Science also held briefings with members of Congress this week. - The organization published an explainer on its Foundation website covering the trial background, concerns, hepatitis B vaccine science, and possible impacts on newborns in Guinea-Bissau and broader disease control.

Between the lines: - The fight has moved from a research-protocol dispute to a broader clash over how the U.S. should test medical interventions in countries with weaker oversight systems. - The fact that the report was first limited to Congressional briefings suggests the group saw the issue as both politically sensitive and time-sensitive. - The emphasis on consent, conflicts, and institutional weakness signals that the core objection is not only the science of the trial, but whether the research environment can protect participants.

What's next: - Stand Up for Science is pushing the public and lawmakers to block any restart of the trial. - The organization says Delawalla is available for comment. - The Foundation website materials are likely to become a key reference point as the debate continues.

The bottom line: - Stand Up for Science is trying to turn a hidden field investigation into a public campaign against a CDC-related trial it считает ethically too risky to restart.