The U.S. is no stranger to unethical government-funded medical experiments done on vulnerable people, such as the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study. The study was conducted by the PHS and CDC in the 1930-70s to observe the effects of syphilis in various stages of progression, including after death. In the cruel experiment, more than 100 African American men died as a result of the scientists’ purposefully giving some infected individuals placebos instead of the already existing (and effective) treatments. Nearly 80 years later, many think similar practices are happening with the Hepatitis B vaccine in the country of Guinea-Bissau, funded by the United States Government. With the Trump administration’s new leadership, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, raised concerns about the side effects of the current Hepatitis B vaccine, previously mandated to be administered in the first 24 hours of a newborn’s life. Thus, trials in Guinea-Bissau were enforced as a rare opportunity, with a donation of $1.6 million from the CDC to observe the negative effects of the vaccine compared to those who hadn’t received it. The trial aims to vaccinate half of the participating infants within the recommended 24 hours, and the other half after six to 10 weeks, to observe if any effects occur. However, this has raised ethical concerns among many top medical professionals and physicians who specialize in medical ethics. Many state that abstaining from giving the newborns the vaccine immediately is putting them at harm. When those resources are accessible to a population that does not mandate Hepatitis B vaccinations yet, it is crucial that those who can receive it as soon as possible. Regardless of what positions are taken, the potential trial highlights how the U.S. often supports experiments like these that take advantage of developing countries like Guinea-Bissau.
