TETFund And The Race To Defeat Lassa Fever In Nigeria

The battle against Lassa fever in Nigeria is gradually evolving into a structured scientific campaign driven by research, data, and institutional collaboration.

At the centre of this effort is the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), which is increasingly positioning research as a frontline tool in public health defence.

Nigeria continues to bear the highest burden of Lassa fever globally, with thousands of deaths recorded annually, particularly in rural and semi-urban communities.

Despite decades of public health interventions, the disease remains endemic, recurring each year with devastating consequences.

It is against this that TETFund has sponsored Mega Research Project on Lassa Fever by the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo (FUHSO), Benue State.

The recent presentation of findings at FUHSO represented a national attempt to understand the virus more deeply, identify transmission patterns, and accelerate the search for a viable vaccine pathway.

For the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arch Sonny Echono, the project is a strategic shift in how Nigeria approaches endemic diseases. Rather than focusing solely on treatment and outbreak response, the country is now investing in upstream scientific inquiry aimed at prevention, prediction, and long-term control.

Speaking at the presentation in Abuja recently, Echono questioned why certain states, particularly Benue, consistently record high Lassa fever burdens and pressed researchers on the shortest route to vaccine development.

“I was wondering why states like Benue had such a high burden. What is the fastest path towards developing a vaccine, and how can TETFund support that drive so we can have direct impact on the citizenry?”

He said the challenge is no longer just funding research, but ensuring that research produces actionable outcomes that reach national health systems.

Echono also emphasised the importance of translating findings to institutions such as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the Federal Ministry of Health, with a view to strengthening Nigeria’s vaccine research capacity.

“We believe that once we can manage, control and gradually defeat some of these diseases affecting our people, we would have made significant progress in improving healthcare delivery in Nigeria.”

The Vice-Chancellor of FUHSO, Professor Francis Aba Uba, said the project as a landmark intervention in Nigeria’s scientific development. The study was funded with a N250 million grant from TETFund about four years ago and was designed as a multidisciplinary response to Lassa fever.

According to him, the grant represented not just financial support but institutional trust in Nigeria’s capacity to generate solutions to its own health challenges.

“This significant investment was an expression of confidence in the capacity of Nigerian scientists and institutions,” he said.

He noted that Lassa fever remains a persistent public health threat, with recurrent outbreaks that strain health systems and weaken national preparedness.

The project, he said, has expanded knowledge in epidemiology, clinical diagnosis, vector dynamics, and disease management, while also strengthening research infrastructure and training young scientists.

The Vice-Chancellor further appealed for FUHSO to be designated a National Centre of Excellence in Infectious Diseases Research, arguing that such recognition would consolidate gains from the project and position the institution as a leader in epidemic preparedness.

“Such recognition will consolidate the gains of this successful Lassa fever project and position FUHSO to provide sustained leadership in research, surveillance, innovation, capacity building and evidence-based responses to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.”

On his part, the principal investigator, Professor Joseph A. Okopi, provided a detailed breakdown of the scientific findings, revealing both expected patterns and surprising anomalies in the behaviour of the virus.

He said Lassa fever is caused by an enveloped single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the Arenaviridae family, noting that Nigeria carries the highest global burden, with estimates suggesting between 5,000 and 10,000 deaths annually.

While traditionally associated with dry-season outbreaks, the study revealed that transmission continues throughout the year, suggesting that seasonal assumptions may no longer fully explain infection dynamics.

The virus is primarily transmitted through Mastomys natalensis, a rodent species widely found in West Africa.

However, the study found that transmission is more complex than previously understood, involving multiple environmental and possibly additional reservoir factors.

“We found that the dynamics of transmission are beyond what was previously assumed,” he noted. “It is not limited to one species or one seasonal pathway.”

This complexity, researchers argue, makes control efforts more difficult and highlights the need for integrated environmental and behavioural interventions.

One of the most significant outcomes of the study was the discovery of widespread exposure in the population, even among individuals who had never been clinically diagnosed.

The research recorded IgG seropositivity of 19.1 per cent and IgM of 1.2 per cent, indicating significant past exposure in communities. The highest seroprevalence was recorded in Benue State, reinforcing its status as a hotspot.

The findings also identified the 20 to 40 age group as the most affected demographic, largely due to occupational exposure such as farming and rural economic activities.

According to the researchers, this age bracket is more frequently exposed to environmental conditions that increase contact with rodents and contaminated surfaces.

Apart from the biological transmission, the study highlighted structural and environmental determinants of infection.

Poor housing conditions, rodent infestation, and inadequate food storage were identified as major risk factors,while leaking roofs, unsealed doors, and non-concrete housing structures were particularly associated with higher exposure risk.

The research concluded that Lassa fever transmission is not a single event but a cumulative process shaped by continuous exposure to environmental hazards.

This finding also shifts attention away from individual behaviour alone and places greater emphasis on housing policy, sanitation, and rural infrastructure development as part of disease control strategies.

The clinical arm of the study, led by Professor Audu Onyemocho, examined suspected and confirmed cases across selected health facilities.

Out of 1,266 screened individuals, 392 were classified as suspected cases, with 43 confirmed positive through molecular testing. The majority of confirmed cases came from Benue State, followed by Kogi State.

A key finding was the importance of early diagnosis. Delays in detection were strongly associated with worse outcomes, including increased mortality.

Researchers also noted that case fatality rates varied depending on diagnostic capacity and access to treatment. Where molecular laboratories were available, outcomes were generally better.

A notable innovation from the project was the introduction of real-time data visualisation systems for tracking infections.

These systems allowed researchers to monitor case distribution, demographic trends, and geographical spread as data was collected from the field.

The platform also enabled role-based access for different research partners, improving coordination and enabling faster interpretation of outbreak patterns.