With vaccine study, Trump administration’s abuse of Africa continues

Key Points:

• A CDC-funded experiment in Denmark to test hepatitis B vaccine timing has been approved despite ethical concerns, leading to resignations from the overseeing ethics committee.
• Critics argue the study exposes newborns randomly denied the vaccine birth dose to unnecessary risk of hepatitis B infection, effectively making them subjects in a harmful research "lottery."
• Infectious disease experts accuse the study's proponent, Kennedy, of exploiting African children for research that would be considered unethical in the US, highlighting concerns about racial bias and expendability.
• Kennedy has a history of promoting controversial and racially charged vaccine theories, drawing condemnation from public health officials and contributing to distrust in the study’s motives.
• The use of American tax funds for this trial on vulnerable African infants intensifies accusations of unethical practices and racial discrimination in global health research.