Bridging gaps in Hepatitis B prevention and management for newborns and pregnant women in South Africa

Summary

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes 1.3 million deaths per year worldwide, with South Africa’s burden intensified by the risks of HIV co-infection. The burden of vaccine-preventable HBV in South Africa has not been accurately determined, complicating the tracking of progress against the goals of elimination of Agenda 2030. We will adopt a modeling framework to estimate the burden of HBV disease more accurately and assess the (cost-)effectiveness of prevention strategies while accounting for HBV and HIV co-infection. The latter increases, for example, mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy. We will share our data-driven insights through close science-policy engagement to inform maternal and neonatal health interventions. Concurrently, we will raise educational standards in disease modeling, leading to a global cadre of emerging researchers. Our focus on bridging the gap for vulnerable populations, preventing mother-to-child transmission, will leverage policy action to integrate HBV services for equitable healthcare.

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