STAND UP FOR SCIENCE: CDC-FUNDED HEPATITIS B STUDY IN GUINEA-BISSAU CANCELLED

On-the-ground investigation raised alarms about safeguards for children, conflicts of interest, and grant oversight. Full report forthcoming.

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, February 25, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Stand Up for Science hosted a confidential briefing last week for Senate and House staff on a controversial CDC-funded Hepatitis B newborn vaccine study in Guinea-Bissau. After the briefing, the Government of Guinea-Bissau indicated the trial will not proceed. Foreign Minister Joao Bernardo Vieira told Reuters it is “not going to happen, period.”

Ahead of the briefing, a Stand Up for Science associate with decades of West Africa experience traveled to Guinea-Bissau to conduct an on-the-ground investigation. The investigation raised serious concerns that U.S. taxpayer funds were supporting a clinical trial that would not meet internationally accepted, U.S., or European ethical review standards, in a setting with inadequate safeguards to protect children from harm and exploitation.

The CDC, under the leadership of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr awarded the $1.6 million grant in December 2025. The circumstances surrounding the award raised troubling questions about the grantmaking process. A Rolling Stone review found the award did not follow regulations, ethics review procedures, or conflict of interest safeguards for federally funded human-subjects research.

Stand Up for Science will release a full report of its findings this week. Founder and CEO Colette Delawalla is available for comment.

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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 executive orders dismantling federal science agencies and undermining 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 for their dissent.
Learn more at www.standupforscience.net

Miriam Bassi
Stand Up for Science
media@standupforscience.net

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