The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Arch. Sonny Echono, has challenged Nigerian scientists to identify the fastest pathway towards developing Nigeria’s first Lassa fever vaccine, describing the disease as a major public health burden requiring urgent scientific solutions.
Echono made the call on Tuesday in Abuja during the presentation of the outcomes of the TETFund-sponsored Mega Research Project on Lassa Fever conducted by the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo (FUHSO), Benue State.
Reacting to the findings presented by the research team, he said the results underscored the need for Nigeria to move beyond research into practical interventions that would directly improve the lives of citizens.
He stressed that vaccine development remains the most effective strategy for controlling infectious diseases and urged the researchers to concentrate efforts on achieving that goal.
“What is the shortest route towards developing a vaccine? How can we ensure that the burden on our people is reduced? Every year, thousands of Nigerians die from Lassa fever. How can we reduce this burden?” he asked.
Echono assured the researchers that TETFund would collaborate with relevant institutions, including the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and the Federal Ministry of Health, to ensure the findings are translated into national health interventions.
He added that successful validation of the research would strengthen the case for establishing a vaccine development centre in Nigeria.
Commending the research team, the TETFund Executive Secretary said the study had produced findings capable of improving healthcare delivery and reducing the burden of infectious diseases in the country.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo, Professor Francis Aba Uba, described the TETFund Mega Research Grant of N250 million awarded to the institution about four years ago as one of the most significant research investments in the university’s history.
According to him, the funding demonstrated confidence in the capacity of Nigerian scientists to develop evidence based solutions to one of the country’s most persistent public health challenges.
Professor Uba said the project had generated critical scientific evidence on the epidemiology, diagnosis, management and control of Lassa fever while strengthening the university’s research infrastructure, laboratory capacity, and collaborations.
He appealed to TETFund and the Federal Government to designate the university as a National Centre of Excellence in Infectious Diseases Research to consolidate the gains of the project and strengthen Nigeria’s response to emerging and re emerging infectious diseases.
Presenting the research findings, the Principal Investigator, Professor Joseph Okopi, disclosed that Nigeria remains the country with the highest burden of Lassa fever globally, recording between 5,000 and 10,000 deaths annually.
He said the TETFund funded study was the largest multi state population surveillance ever conducted on Lassa fever in Nigeria, covering antibody prevalence, rodent vectors, transmission patterns and environmental risk factors.
According to the findings, Benue State recorded the highest prevalence of Lassa fever antibodies among the five states surveyed, while adults aged between 20 and 40 years were found to have the highest exposure to the virus due to farming and other outdoor activities.
The study also identified poor housing conditions, rodent infestation, food contamination, leaking roofs and poorly fitted doors as major environmental risk factors associated with infection.
Professor Okopi noted that contrary to popular belief, rodent consumption was not found to be an independent predictor of Lassa fever infection.
Also presenting the clinical findings, Professor Audu Onyemocho said 1,266 participants were enrolled in the study, while 392 suspected Lassa fever cases were investigated in Benue and Kogi states.
Of the suspected cases, 43 were confirmed through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, with Benue recording 25 confirmed cases and Kogi 18. He added that bleeding, older age and seizures were identified as the strongest predictors of mortality among confirmed patients.
Speaking on future research priorities, former Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) and adviser to the research team, Professor John Idoko, said vaccine development remains the ultimate goal in the fight against Lassa fever.
The presentation highlighted the growing role of research in shaping public health policy and renewed calls for greater investment in indigenous vaccine development to tackle endemic diseases in Nigeria.
