Reimagining Viral Hepatitis Care in Africa
The Viral Hepatitis Research Group within the Division of Medical Virology at Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences is an African-centred research and training programme that generates contextual evidence on viral hepatitis and turns it into better prevention, diagnosis, treatment and policy.
Advancing Viral Hepatitis Research and Care in African Health Systems
Millions of people live with viral hepatitis worldwide, and many develop serious liver disease and die despite the availability of effective vaccines, diagnostics and treatments. In African countries, the gap is particularly wide: a high burden of disease, limited access to care, and major gaps in data.
The Viral Hepatitis Research Group responds to this challenge. Led by Senior Medical Scientist and Associate Professor Tongai Maponga, the group focuses on what works in real African health systems, testing and adapting global guidelines for local use. Working across laboratory, clinical and community settings with partners, the team supports efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health concern.
Our Approach
Our vision is a world where no person suffers from viral hepatitis.
Our mission is to advance collaborative viral hepatitis research, from basic to clinical science, and to develop and implement effective prevention and treatment strategies towards disease elimination.
To achieve this, we focus on three interconnected objectives:
Basic and applied science
Advancing virology and immunology research to understand the burden of viral hepatitis in African settings, the viral and host factors that drive disease, and the mechanisms that shape different outcomes in patients.
Systems strengthening
Building collaborative, Africa-centred research environments by recruiting and training postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows, fostering interdisciplinary partnerships, and developing a strong network of researchers working on viral hepatitis and related infections.
Capacity building and engagement
Working with communities, healthcare workers and policymakers to translate research into practice through awareness and education activities, training, and contributions to guidelines and policies that improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment in real-world settings.
Our Research
Our research advances virology and immunology to better understand viral hepatitis and support its elimination.
We focus on three key priorities:
Burden of disease
Defining the true burden of viral hepatitis in Africa, including the impact in vulnerable populations such as pregnant women and people living with HIV, and contributing African data to large collaborative datasets.
Viral and host factors
Investigating immunopathogenesis, biomarkers and viral genomic diversity to understand how host–virus interactions and co-morbidities influence disease progression and outcomes in African patients.
Tools for prevention and care
Examining how existing vaccines, diagnostics and treatments are used in real health systems, and generating evidence on how they can be deployed and optimised to improve prevention, early diagnosis and equitable access to care.
Building evidence and capacity for viral hepatitis care in African health systems
Having worked in under-resourced diagnostic laboratories and led efforts to establish early HIV diagnosis for infants in Eswatini, Maponga has seen firsthand how gaps in testing and treatment affect patients and families. That experience underpins his commitment to research that does more than generate data: through the Viral Hepatitis Research Group, he is focused on evidence and partnerships that help ensure guidelines, tools and investments translate into better care for people affected by viral hepatitis across Africa.
Under his leadership, the programme is improving understanding of viral hepatitis to inform patient management, including access to context-relevant diagnostics and therapeutics. It is strengthening a collaborative network of researchers who are producing the best available, Africa-specific evidence for the prevention and management of viral hepatitis, and contributing to policy shifts that improve vaccine coverage, early diagnosis, and equitable access to treatment.
Despite many obstacles in his path, Tongai Maponga has always believed in looking ahead with purpose. As lead of the Viral Hepatitis Research Group, he brings his scientific training to generate African-centred evidence on viral hepatitis, improve approaches to prevention, diagnosis and treatment, strengthen collaborative research networks, and support policy decisions that expand vaccine coverage, improve early diagnosis and increase access to care in African health systems.
Associate Professor Tongai Maponga
