Why a US-funded vaccine trial on babies was cancelled in Guinea-Bissau

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Like many neighbouring countries, Guinea-Bissau waits until babies are six weeks old to vaccinate them against hepatitis B, while the WHO says it should be done at birth (file photo)ByBasma El Atti and Makuochi Okafor, BBC AfricaA proposed trial of a hepatitis B vaccine on newborn babies in Guinea-Bissau has been cancelled following accusations that the trial was "unethical" and "neocolonial".The trial was funded by the US, under Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has a long record of expressing scepticism about vaccines. Police have seized a batch of vaccines from the research centre at the heart of the controversy. The proposed trial drew international criticism because it planned to withhold a vaccine recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) from half of the participating newborns.Some public health experts argued that the proposed trial raised broader questions about whether vulnerable populations in African countries were being asked to take risks that researchers would not accept in wealthier countries.The BBC has asked the US department of health and human services for comment.Here is what you need to know.The study w...