The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has tasked local scientists with fast-tracking the creation of an indigenous Lassa fever vaccine. This call to action follows new data indicating that the virus claims between 5,000 and 10,000 lives annually in Nigeria. Sonny Echono, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, issued this challenge during the unveiling of a N250 million research project led by the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo (FUHSO).
Echono emphasized that the country must transition from theoretical research to practical health outcomes, noting that immunization is the most effective defense against the disease. He promised that TETFund would collaborate with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and the Federal Ministry of Health to ensure these research findings lead to concrete policy interventions. Successful validation of this work could potentially justify the establishment of a dedicated national vaccine development center.
Professor Francis Aba Uba, Vice-Chancellor of FUHSO, lauded the N250 million grant as a historic investment that has significantly improved the university’s laboratory capacity and diagnostic capabilities. He proposed that the institution be officially designated as a national center of excellence for infectious disease research.
The study’s principal investigator, Professor Joseph Okopi, confirmed that Nigeria remains the global hub for Lassa fever. The research, which examined antibody prevalence and environmental risk factors, identified Benue and Kogi states as significant areas of concern. Data showed that adults between the ages of 20 and 40 face the highest risk due to their frequent interaction with rodents during outdoor labor. Clinical findings highlighted that seizures, bleeding, and older age are major indicators of fatal outcomes in infected individuals.
