Outrage grows as CDC reportedly poised to fund "unethical" vaccine trial
CDC allocated $1.6M for study on alleged harms of hepatitis B vaccine.
Health experts are expressing outrage over a potential CDC funding decision for a vaccine trial that has been widely criticized. The trial, which aims to expose newborns in Guinea-Bissau to hepatitis B, poses a significant risk of lifelong infection, potentially leading to severe health complications such as liver cirrhosis, liver cancer, and premature death.
The trial was halted in January following its unethical design and widespread international condemnation. Despite its suspension, the CDC's director's office reportedly instructed staff to allocate $1.6 million for the trial, as revealed by a Rolling Stone report. This funding would have been withdrawn from the CDC's global health security programs, which could have been directed towards addressing critical issues like the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
However, the Department of Health and Human Services, the agency that oversees the CDC, has declined to comment on the matter.
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