Recently, a troubling situation arose in the health research community involving a vaccine study funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that was set to receive $1.6 million. Researchers have been expressing serious concerns about this initiative for the past month.
Details from the trial protocols, which were shared by a source from the U.S. Center for Disease Control (US CDC) with physician Jeremy Faust, revealed that the study was going to track 14,000 infants in Guinea-Bissau. However, only half of the newborns were slated to receive a crucial hepatitis B vaccine for comparison purposes. This raises significant ethical issues, especially since the research costs would be higher than funding over a decade’s worth of hepatitis B vaccines for the entire population of Guinea-Bissau.
During an interview, the unnamed CDC employee drew alarming parallels to the infamous Tuskegee syphilis study, where Black men were subjected to research without being informed of their conditions or available treatments.
Faust reviewed the protocol dated January 14, 2026, and described it as “wretched.”
At the time of reporting, the Guardian stated that officials from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, distinct from the US CDC and overseen by the African Union, announced that the study had been halted by Guinea-Bissau’s public health authorities.
However, things took a curious turn. An HHS spokesperson claimed via email that the trial was still happening, asserting, “To be clear, the trial will proceed as planned.” They alleged that the Africa CDC shared outdated communications as part of a public relations effort rather than to provide scientific facts.
Moreover, the HHS seemed to view the infants involved in the study more as research subjects than human beings. The spokesperson remarked that this research represents a unique opportunity to evaluate the health effects of hepatitis B.
The spokesperson’s comments were surprising, but what followed was even more shocking. In off-the-record remarks, they disparaged the Africa CDC, calling it “a powerless, fake organization attempting to manufacture credibility.” This kind of language is striking, even for the standards set by the Trump administration.
Despite attempts to get clarification from HHS, no response was received regarding these remarks. The Africa CDC serves as the official health agency of the African Union, representing 55 nations, and has been pivotal in public health initiatives like COVID-19 testing and emergency vaccinations for various infectious diseases.
In October, a significant collaboration agreement was signed between the World Health Organization and the Africa CDC to strengthen their partnership and promote shared health objectives. This raises the question of the Africa CDC’s legitimacy, especially given that the WHO, a specialized UN agency, endorsed this strategic partnership.
While the HHS maintains that the controversial study is proceeding, the Africa CDC is set to hold a press conference this Thursday, and many are keen to see what will unfold.
