The West African Health Organisation (WAHO) has unveiled a landmark Lassa Fever End-to-End (E2E) Access Roadmap for West Africa, aimed at ensuring equitable access to safe and effective Lassa fever vaccines across the region.

The roadmap, developed with support from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), reflects a shared commitment to strengthening epidemic preparedness, promoting vaccine equity and securing long-term health security in West Africa.

Lassa fever remains a persistent public health threat in the region, causing thousands of deaths annually, placing enormous pressure on already fragile health systems and resulting in significant socio-economic losses in affected countries. While several promising Lassa fever vaccine candidates are advancing through development, stakeholders stress that scientific breakthroughs alone are not enough to guarantee meaningful impact.

Drawing lessons from past epidemics, the roadmap prioritises early and deliberate planning, uninterrupted vaccine supply and equitable access, ensuring that countries are adequately prepared well before vaccine licensure.

Speaking at the unveiling, Executive Director of Access and Business Development at CEPI, Emma Wheatley, said Lassa fever has affected lives and livelihoods across West Africa for decades, but noted that progress is being made.

She said with experts anticipating the first Lassa fever vaccine approvals within the next five years, the region must begin preparations immediately to maximise the benefits of future vaccines.

The Lassa Fever E2E Access Roadmap establishes a unified, regionally driven approach that links every stage required to move a vaccine from development to sustained use. It covers research and development, regulatory and policy preparedness, manufacturing and supply planning, financing, procurement, delivery systems and long-term sustainability.

By clearly mapping responsibilities, timelines and decision points across this continuum, the roadmap provides governments, funders, developers, manufacturers and implementing partners with a practical framework to support timely, affordable and equitable access to Lassa fever vaccines, particularly in endemic countries.

Also speaking, Director of Healthcare Services at WAHO, Dr Virgil Lokossou, said ending the threat of Lassa fever requires early and deliberate action anchored on strong regional preparedness and sustained, trusted partnerships.

He described the roadmap as a decisive step forward, noting that it represents a clear, region-led framework through which West Africa is defining its priorities for vaccine access and aligning countries, partners and institutions around a shared vision and complementary roles.

Beyond planning, Lokossou said the roadmap also serves as a call to action for sustained collaboration and investment, signalling the region’s determination to be ready ahead of vaccine availability and to avoid the delays that undermined responses to previous epidemics.

The roadmap was shaped through extensive consultations involving national governments, regional institutions, technical experts, civil society organisations, manufacturers and global health partners, with West African leadership and country ownership placed at the centre of its design.