The Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CER) and GIZ have launched the second phase of their genomic surveillance partnership in Cape Town, securing ZAR 12 million to expande pathogen monitoring, capacity building, and data-sharing across Africa. This phase will broaden surveillance to influenza, RSV, H5N1 and emerging COVID-19 variants while strengthening laboratory infrastructure and integrating genomic insigths into public-health policy.
The CERI seminar on 30 July 2025 will showcase Dr Gert JK Maraiss work developing tailored software and wet-lab protocols to make clinical metagenomics affordable and practical in South African diagnostic labs. Attendee, both in person and online, will learn how these innovations are lowering barriers to comprehensive infectious-disease testing in resource-limited settings.
In the last month, our work within the CERI Data Science Unit was showcased across two international discussion panels in Oxford and Berlin contributing to insightful public discourse on pathogen spillover dynamics and AI for infectious disease modelling.
This June, as South Africa commemorated Youth Day, we at KRISP took a moment to reflect on the importance of this daynot just in remembrance of the past, but in celebration of the present and the promise of the future. Youth Day marks a powerful moment in our nations history, honouring the courage of the 1976 student uprisings and reminding us of the role young people continue to play in driving change.
In June 2025, Prof Wim de Villiers and Dr Richard Gordon visited the UK (London and Cambridge) to explore a number of collaboration opportunities. These included the pharmaceutical sector (Glaxo Smith Kline), funding agencies (Wellcome Trust, Childrens Innovation Fund Foundation (CIFF)) as well as several UK funding agencies such as UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
Harriet Ngombe, a PhD student at Stellenbosch University and researcher at the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ), presented work on genomic research at the 12th EDCTP Forum in Kigali, Rwanda.
Were excited to share that Maambele Khosa (Ambie), Head of Communication at the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), Stellenbosch University, has been named to the Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 list!
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, 20222023.
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), 638(8051):623-635. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08564-w.:.
Spatiotemporal disease suitability prediction for Oropouche virus and the role of vectors across the Americas.
Poongavanan J, Dunaiski M, Dor 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.:.
Unveiling novel features and phylogenomic assessment of indigenous
Priestia megaterium
AB-S79 using comparative genomics.
Adeniji A, Chukwuneme C, Conceição E, Ayangbenro A, Wilkinson E, Maasdorp E, de Oliveira T, Babalola O, Microbiology Spectrum (2025), doi: 10.1128/spectrum.01466-24.:.
COVID-19 | News sub-variant being monitored closely
By: Tulio De Oliveira and CERI and KRISP teams
Genome Detective Coronavirus Typing Tool
Genome Detective Coronavirus Typing Tool for rapid identification and characterization of novel coronavirus genomes
Genome Detective Dengue Virus Typing Tool
This is a beta version of our Dengue Virus Typing tool. For the mean time, this tool should be used for evaluation only. Please send feedback to Tulio de Oliveira.
Genome Detective Zika Typing Tool
This is the first version of the Zika typing tool, which uses phylogenetic analysis to identify the species and genotype of the virus.
Genome Detective Chikungunya Typing Tool
This is the first version of the Chikungunya typing tool, which uses phylogenetic analysis to identify the species and genotype of the virus.
Genome Detective Yellow Fever Virus Typing Tool
This is the first version of the Yellow Fever typing tool, which uses phylogenetic analysis to identify the species and genotype of the virus.
This is the first version of our Arbovirus typing tool for Chikungunya, Dengue, Yellow Fever and Zika
REGA HIV Subtyping Tool V3 - Belgium Mirror
Phylogenetic tool to identify the HIV-1 subtypes and recombinants. Query sequences are analysed for recombination using bootscanning methods. The version 3 contains new CRFs (CRF01_AE to CRF47_BF).
KRISP has been created by the coordinated effort of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) and the South African Medical Research Countil (SAMRC).
Location: K-RITH Tower Building
Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, UKZN
719 Umbilo Road, Durban, South Africa.
Director: Prof. Tulio de Oliveira