NEWS SPOTLIGHT

KRISP NEWS

CERI Fellows & African STARS Reunion Stellenbosch University Homecoming Weekend

Engagement and Knowledge-Sharing

A visit by the Mastercard Foundation offered an opportunity to hear directly from African STARS fellows about their journeys, ambitions, and the impact of the programme on their academic and professional development.

Tracking Epidemics Through Wastewater

Researchers, students, and partners gathered to explore how environmental and wastewater surveillance can strengthen disease detection, outbreak preparedness, and public health decision-making across Africa.

Advancing Cancer Research

A recent international symposium brought together experts from around the world to explore how virology research can improve cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, with a particular focus on challenges facing Africa.

Celebrating Zethu Luthuli

Strong research depends on more than scientific expertise. It also relies on dedicated professionals whose work in operations, administration, and support creates the foundation for research to succeed.

Reconnecting Across the WEMA Network

Researchers and community partners from across Africa met in Kenya to share lessons, discuss emerging findings, and strengthen collaboration on the mental health impacts of climate change and extreme weather events.

Wastewater Insights from Accra

Attendance at the Wastewater & Environmental Surveillance Meeting 2026 provided an opportunity for emerging African researchers to explore new approaches, share experiences, and deepen understanding of wastewater surveillance for public health.

PUBLICATIONS SPOTLIGHT

KRISP SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS

Addressing pandemic-wide systematic errors in the SARS-CoV-2 phylogeny.
Hunt M, Hinrichs A, Anderson D, Karim L, Dearlove B, Knaggs J, Constantinides B, Fowler P, Rodger G, Street T, Lumley S, Webster H, Sanderson T, Ruis C, Kotzen B, de Maio N, Amenga-Etego L, Amuzu D, Avaro M, Awandare G, Ayivor-Djanie R, Barkham T, Bashton M, Batty E, Bediako Y, De Belder D, Benedetti E, Bergthaler A, Boers S, Campos J, Carr R, Chen Y, Cuba F, Dattero M, Dejnirattisai W, Dilthey A, Duedu K, Endler L, Engelmann I, Francisco N, Fuchs J, Gnimpieba E, Groc S, Gyamfi J, Heemskerk D, Houwaart T, Hsiao N, Huska M, Hölzer M, Iranzadeh A, Jarva H, Jeewandara C, Jolly B, Joseph R, Kant R, Ki K, Kurkela S, Lappalainen M, Lataretu M, Lemieux J, Liu C, Malavige G, Mashe T, Mongkolsapaya J, Montes B, Mora J, Morang’a C, Mvula B, Nagarajan N, Nelson A, Ngoi J, da Paixão J, Panning M, Poklepovich T, Quashie P, Ranasinghe D, Russo M, San J, Sanderson N, Scaria V, Screaton G, Sessions O, Sironen T, Sisay A, Smith D, Smura T, Supasa P, Suphavilai C, Swann J, Tegally H, Tegomoh B, Vapalahti O, Walker A, Wilkinson R, Williamson C, Zair X, Biere B, Dürrwald R, Mache C, Oh D, Schulze J, Wedde M, Wolff T, Fuchs S, Semmler T, Paraskevopoulou S, Kerber R, Kröger S, Haas W, Bode K, Corman V, Erren M, Finzer P, Grosser R, Haffner M, Hermann B, Kiel C, Krumbholz A, Lorentz T, Meinck K, Nitsche A, Petzold M, Schwanz T, Szabados F, Tewald F, Tiemann C, de Oliveira T, Peto T, Crook D, Corbett-Detig R, Iqbal Z, Nature Methods (2026), 23:653-662.

Tracing the spatial origins and spread of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron lineages in South Africa.
Dor G, Wilkinson E, Martin DP, Moir M, Tshiabuila D, Kekana D, Ntozini B, Joseph R, Iranzadeh A, Nyaga MM, Goedhals D, Maponga T, Maritz J, Laguda-Akingba O, Ramphal Y, MacIntyre C, Chabuka L, Pillay S, Giandhari J, Baxter C, Hsiao NY, Preiser W, Bhiman JN, Davies MA, Venter M, Treurnicht FK, Wolter N, Williamson C, von Gottberg A, Lessells R, Tegally H, de Oliveira T, Nature Communications (2025), 28;16(1):4937. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-60081-0:.

Genomic Surveillance of Climate-Amplified Cholera Outbreak, Malawi, 2022–2023.
Chabuka L, Choga W, Mavian C, Moir M, Morgenstern C, Tegaly H, Sharma A, Wilkinson E, Naidoo Y, Inward R, Bhatt S, WilliamWint G, Khan K, Bogoch I, Kraemer M, Lourenço J, Baxter C, Tagliamonte M, Salemi M, Lessells R, Mitambo C, Chitatanga R, Bitilinyu-Bango J, Chiwaula M, Chavula Y, Bukhu M, Manda H, Chitenje M, Malolo I, Mwanyongo A, Mvula B, Nyenje M, de Oliveira T, Kagoli M, Emerging Infectious Diseases (2025), 31(6):. doi: 10.3201/eid3106.240930.:.

Importance of outbreak response research in bridging knowledge gaps on emerging infectious diseases.
Breiman R, Osoro E, Reithinger R, Wang D, Diamond M, Van Voorhis W, Wasserheit J, Rabinowitz P, Mboup S, Hemingway-Foday J, de Oliveira T, Boon A, Schieffelin J, Sempowski G, Moody M, Vasilakis N, Hanley K, Nasimiyu C, Situma S, Ngere I, Kyobe Bosa H, Nyakarahuka L, Bakamutumaho B, Woodson S, Njenga M, BMJ Global Health (2025), 10(6):e018297. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2024-018297.:.

Artificial intelligence for modelling infectious disease epidemics.
Kraemer M, Tsui J, Chang S, Lytras S, Khurana M, Vanderslott S, Bajaj S, Scheidwasser N, Curran-Sebastian J, Semenova E, Zhang M, Unwin H, Watson O, Mills C, Dasgupta A, Ferretti L, Scarpino S, Koua E, Morgan O, Tegally H, Paquet U, Moutsianas L, Fraser C, Ferguson N, Topol E, Duchêne D, Stadler T, Kingori P, Parker M, Dominici F, Shadbolt N, Suchard M, Ratmann O, Flaxman S, Holmes E, Gomez-Rodriguez M, Schölkopf B, Donnelly C, Pybus O, Cauchemez S, Bhatt S, Nature (2025), :.

Spatiotemporal disease suitability prediction for Oropouche virus and the role of vectors across the Americas.
Poongavanan J, Dunaiski M, D’or G, Kraemer M, Giovanetti M, Lim A, Brady O, Baxter C, Fonseca V, Alcantara L, de Oliveira T, Tegally H, medRxiv (2025), doi: 10.1101/2025.02.28.25323068.:.

Characterization of SARS-CoV-2 intrahost genetic evolution in vaccinated and non-vaccinated patients from the Kenyan population.
Lugano D, Mwangi K, Mware B, Kibet G, Osiany S, Kiritu E, Dobi P, Muli C, Njeru R, de Oliveira T, Njenga M, Routh A, Oyola S, medRxiv (2025), doi: 10.1101/2025.03.03.25323296.:.

KRISP VIDEOS

COVID-19 | News sub-variant being monitored closely
By: Tulio De Oliveira and CERI and KRISP teams

KRISP BIOINFORMATICS TOOLS