Hepatitis B Virus Research in South Africa

Despite being vaccine-preventable, hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains the seventh leading cause of mortality in the world. In South Africa (SA), over 1.9 million people are chronically infected with HBV, and 70% of all Black chronic carriers are infected with HBV subgenotype A1. The virus remains a significant burden on public health in SA despite the introduction of an infant immunization program implemented in 1995 and the availability of effective treatment for chronic HBV infection. In addition, the high prevalence of HIV infection amplifies HBV replication, predisposes patients to chronicity, and complicates management of the infection. HBV research has made significant progress leading to better understanding of HBV epidemiology and management challenges in the SA context. This has led to recent revision of the national HBV infection management guidelines. Research on developing new vaccines and therapies is underway and progress has been made with designing potentially curative gene therapies against HBV. This review summarizes research carried out in SA on HBV molecular biology, epidemiology, treatment, and vaccination strategies.

Automated summary

Despite being vaccine-preventable, hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a significant burden on public health in South Africa. Over 1.9 million people in South Africa are chronically infected with HBV, with 70% of Black chronic carriers infected with HBV subgenotype A1. HIV infection amplifies HBV replication and complicates management of the infection. Research on HBV in South Africa has made progress in understanding its epidemiology and management challenges, leading to recent revision of national guidelines and development of new vaccines and gene therapies.