CDC grant goes to Danish researchers with ties to Tracy Beth Høeg
statnews.com••health
Key Points:
- The CDC awarded a $1.6 million grant to researchers Christine Stabell Benn and Peter Aaby at the University of Southern Denmark for a hepatitis B vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau, sparking ethical concerns due to the use of a placebo group in a high-risk population.
- The study plans to compare newborns receiving the hepatitis B vaccine at birth with those receiving the current standard dose at six weeks, aiming to assess impacts on early-life mortality and long-term health outcomes, but experts question its relevance and ethicality.
- Critics highlight that withholding the birth dose in Guinea-Bissau, where hepatitis B prevalence is high, could put infants at significant risk, and note that the study design would not be ethically permissible in the
