Families Sue US Govt Over Infant Deaths in Unconsented RSV Vaccine Trials

Thairath•International•1d ago

Reader Briefing

Two families are suing the U.S. government for financial damages after their infants died in 1967 during unconsented experimental RSV vaccine trials.

•Families of two Black infants are suing the U.S. government for deaths that occurred in 1967 following unconsented experimental RSV vaccine trials.
•The infants, Ross Otto Hambrick and Victor Marcellus King, were allegedly given an experimental vaccine known as "Lot 100" without parental consent or disclosure of risks.
•The lawsuit seeks compensation and highlights historical concerns about medical experimentation on vulnerable Black populations, referencing the Tuskegee Syphilis Study.

•In 1967, infants Ross Otto Hambrick and Victor Marcellus King died after being administered an experimental RSV vaccine.
•The experimental trials, including the "Lot 100" vaccine, took place between 1965-1966 and were supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
•On May 29, 2026, two families of Black infants filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government seeking damages.
•The lawsuit alleges the infants participated in RSV vaccine trials without informed consent from their parents.
•Tissue samples from the infants' autopsies were used for decades, aiding in the development of a new RSV vaccine approved in 2023.
•The lawsuit brings to light historical instances of medical experimentation on Black individuals without consent, referencing the Tuskegee Syphilis Study where hundreds of Black men were left untreated.
•The families are calling for transparency and accountability for events that occurred nearly 60 years ago.
•The case is proceeding under the Federal Tort Claims Act.

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U.S. Government(รัฐบาลสหรัฐฯ)ℹ️

The defendant in a lawsuit concerning unconsented infant vaccine trials.

National Institutes of Health (NIH)(สถาบันสุขภาพแห่งชาติ (National Institutes of Health) หรือ NIH)ℹ️

The institution that supported experimental RSV vaccine trials in the 1960s.

Ross Otto Hambrick(รอสส์ ออตโต แฮมบริก)

One of two infants whose family is suing the U.S. government for wrongful death during an experimental vaccine trial.

Victor Marcellus King(วิกเตอร์ มาร์เซลลัส คิง)

One of two infants whose family is suing the U.S. government for wrongful death during an experimental vaccine trial.

RSV vaccine(วัคซีน RSV)ℹ️

The subject of experimental trials that led to a lawsuit alleging unconsented use and infant deaths.