# Spatial and molecular epidemiology of hepatitis B transmission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

> **NIH NIH F30** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2024 · $47,428

## Abstract

Project Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains endemic in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), despite an effective vaccine. While
perinatal transmission from mother-to-child has been the prevailing theory for continued HBV endemicity based
on studies in Asia, limited evidence from SSA suggests transmission at the household- and community-levels
is a more important driver of transmission in SSA contexts. Given that scale-up of HBV vaccination will be slow
and insufficient to reach the World Health Organization goal of HBV elimination by 2030, additional prevention
measures are needed for HBV control, which first require a better understanding of HBV transmission in SSA.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has a national HBV prevalence of ~3.3%, which translates to
approximately 3.5 million chronic infections in a setting where advanced hepatology care is essentially
inaccessible. This proposal builds upon a strong research infrastructure (~20 years) between scientists at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and in DRC’s capital city, Kinshasa, to study HBV
transmission using data and samples from an ongoing household-based case-control study and from the
DRC’s latest national Demographic and Health Survey. The overall goal of this proposal is to improve
understanding of HBV transmission in a low-resourced, sub-Saharan Africa setting.
The specific aims of this proposal are: 1) Characterize the epidemiology of HBV transmission in
households in urban Kinshasa, DRC, and identify associated individual, household, and community
risk factors; and 2) Investigate evidence of community-level horizontal transmission using
phylogenetic analysis.
Through this research proposal and a carefully constructed training plan, the trainee will achieve the following
fellowship goals: 1) develop a unique and interdisciplinary research skillset that integrates epidemiology,
geography, genetics, and infectious diseases; 2) engage in meaningful clinical training that will enhance the
trainee’s future clinical practice and the translation of research findings to clinically relevant interventions; and
3) develop professional skills that will facilitate a successful academic career as a physician-scientist.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10799686
- **Project number:** 5F30AI169752-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** Camille Morgan
- **Activity code:** F30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $47,428
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-04-01 → 2026-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10799686

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10799686, Spatial and molecular epidemiology of hepatitis B transmission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (5F30AI169752-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10799686. Licensed CC0.

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