Pate reaffirms Nigeria, West Africa’s commitment to tackle lassa fever

Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate has reaffirmed the determination of Nigeria and West African sub-region to combat lassa fever with resilience, innovation, and a collective sense of purpose.

He assured that the best of scientific methods are being deployed to ensure efficacy, effectiveness and safety of the lassa fever vaccine that is being developed for Nigeria and the West Africa.

Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the Lassa Coalition Governing Entity (LGE), on Friday, in Abuja, the minister stated that lassa fever is a disease that afflicts many in West Africa with huge morbidities and mortality annually around the season of Lassa fever.

Pate lamented that Lassa fever has plagued communities across West Africa for over five decades, exposing gaps in the health systems and compounding the burden on vulnerable populations, particularly women, children, and frontline health workers.

He noted that until now, there is no preventative tool for the disease but only case management and some therapeutic interventions to manage those who are already infected.

He added that many of the health workers that cater for these patients also inadvertently get infected and while some of them die not only here in Nigeria but across the region

Pate, who stressed the need to advance the development, equitable distribution, and deployment of an effective Lassa fever vaccine, noted that phase 2 clinical trials are already underway in Nigeria, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, representing significant progress in the fight against this disease.

The minster stated that the concept of the Lassa fever vaccine programme since the very beginning going back to 2018 has been to include all of the countries that experience Lassa fever disease and Nigeria first and foremost.

Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of CEPİ, Richard Hatchett, said that Lassa fever is a serious public health problem in West Africa adding that the phase two trial of the Lassa fever vaccine was initiated last year in Nigeria which looks specifically at the safety and the immune response that the vaccine can elicit.