Africa CDC Defends Sovereignty Over US-Backed Infant Vaccine Trial

Africa CDC chief Jean Kaseya rebuked a US-backed plan to run an infant hepatitis B vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau, insisting any study must be authorized by Guinea-Bissau’s National Medicines Regulatory Authority, National Ethics Committee, local IRBs, and the Ministry of Health, underscoring Africa’s sovereignty. The proposed trial would have enrolled about 14,000 newborns (7,000 vaccinated, 7,000 controls) and was funded with $1.6 million from the US HHS. Critics say such research should serve Africans’ needs and ensure standard care for controls, while the US has criticized Africa CDC as “fake and powerless.” The flare-up exposes tensions between Western funders and African health authorities over governance of research.