Sunday 11 October 2026 · Edition of the day

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The Skeptic's Daily

The day's biggest stories, taken apart. For each one: what is actually established, what is only asserted, the questions worth asking — and a plausibility score for the central claim, given everything currently known.

Stories
1
Average plausibility
72%
How to read the score
It rates how well the core claim is evidenced — not how important the story is, nor whether it is good or bad news.
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01ScienceAfrica

Guinea-Bissau vaccine trial reportedly approved

The Guardian says Danish researchers will withhold a recommended hepatitis B vaccine dose from thousands of newborns.

The Guardian reports that a controversial vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau received approval to proceed. Its extract says Danish researchers will withhold a recommended hepatitis B vaccine dose from thousands of newborns. The trial is described as promoted by US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.

What holds up

  • ✓The Guardian reports approval of the trial, rather than merely a proposal.
  • ✓The supplied extract identifies hepatitis B vaccination and newborn participants as central to the research.

What doesn't yet

  • ?Only one outlet covers the approval, and the extract does not identify the approving body or supply its decision.
  • ?The excerpt is truncated and provides no protocol, consent arrangements or researchers' explanation of the study design.

Ask before you share

  • →Which regulator or ethics body approved the trial, and on what conditions?
  • →What does the protocol specify about vaccination, consent and participant protection?

Sources & original reporting

  1. [1]The Guardian · Published 9 Oct 2026 · theguardian.com