Statement on the planned hepatitis B birth dose vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau - World Health Organization (WHO)

Controversial vaccine researchers who have been praised by Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary, had their offices in Guinea-Bissau raided by judicial police, who seized doses of hepatitis B vaccines, officials said on Facebook. The researchers have been at the heart of an ongoing dispute over research on African newborns, supported by $1.6m from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and matched by the Pershing Square Foundation and the Bluebell Foundation for a total of $3.2m. The police search took place on Monday, involving “investigative procedures aimed at clarifying the circumstances related to the said batch of vaccines”, according to the social media post, which was translated from Portuguese. The announcement noted that seizing the immunizations did not point to “irregularities in the quality, safety, or effectiveness of the vaccines”. The Bandim Health Project recently posted a letter of approval for the trial from Guinea-Bissau’s national ethics committee at the ministry of public health, dated 14 July and signed by the committee’s president, Mouhammed Djicó Ould Ahmed.

Guinea-Bissau has not approved the controversial hepatitis B study in newborns that would be funded by the US government and private partners, the African country’s minister of health said on Tuesday. The study, which would not investigate the safety or effectiveness of vaccines but would instead track “nonspecific” health outcomes like overall mortality or neurodevelopmental conditions, has been championed by Robert F Kennedy Jr, secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and a longtime anti-vaccine activist. Members of a Danish research ethics committee were informed that officials in Guinea-Bissau had approved an updated design of the study, which influenced some committee members’ votes to proceed with the trial last week. But the health ministry never agreed to or authorized the trial, said Quinhin Nantote in Portuguese at a press briefing, where he referred to the study as “tests”. “The ministry did not authorize the tests under the terms presented in the publications currently in circulation,” the health minister said. He said officials in Guinea-Bissau were “surprised” to see media reports that the country had given approval to the study.

Bissau—The initiative expands the resources available for eye examinations, diagnosis and treatment at Simão Mendes National Hospital. The World Health Organization (WHO) handed over materials and equipment to the National Ophthalmology Service, based at Simão Mendes National Hospital in Bissau. The equipment, valued at a total of US$151,863, was procured under the National Health System Strengthening Project, funded by the African Development Bank in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health. Technology for more accurate examinations and treatmentThe materials provided include equipment for different stages of eye care. Slit lamps allow health professionals to examine the structures of the eye in detail. Tonometers are used to measure intraocular pressure, an important test for detecting and monitoring conditions such as glaucoma. The automated refractor-keratometer helps assess refractive errors and corneal curvature, while the optical biometer provides measurements that support the planning of certain procedures.

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, many households wiped down groceries with disinfectant before putting them away. Hand sanitizer was in short supply. With little information on how the virus spread, people became more cautious of germs from other people. A new University of California San Diego study suggests that humans may not be alone in changing behavior after experiencing a disease threat.

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