Why Guinea-Bissau halted a controversial hepatitis vaccine trial for babies

Guinea-Bissau has reportedly halted a controversial United States-funded hepatitis B virus vaccine (HBV) trial which drew global scrutiny when experts said it involved withholding lifesaving shots from thousands of babies.The trial failed to gain the necessary government approval, one researcher involved in the project said in a statement, adding that the end of the trial was a “significant setback” for African science.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Port Sudan families can barely afford water as shortages persistlist 2 of 4Israel restricting treatment for 1,100 child amputees in Gaza: NGOlist 3 of 4Dakar Youth Olympics: Who gets to hold the flame?list 4 of 4Education under fire: Gaza’s children face death on their way to schoolend of listOfficials have not commented.The West African nation’s judicial police said in mid-October that it had raided the facilities of the research group leading the project in the capital, Bissau, and seized vaccine batches.Authorities said inquiries were continuing to determine whether the trial had complied with the country’s safety standards.Here’s what we know:A box of hepatitis B vaccine is displayed at a CVS Pharmacy, on September 9,...