The Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, Arch. Sonny Echono, has challenged Nigerian scientists to identify the fastest pathway towards developing the country’s first Lassa fever vaccine.
Echono gave the charge on Tuesday, in Abuja, during the official presentation of the outcomes of the TETFund-sponsored Mega Research Project on Lassa Fever by the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo, FUHSO, Benue State.
The TETFund boss said the recurring disease was a major public health burden that demands urgent scientific solutions.
Reacting to the findings presented by the research team, Echono said the results had reinforced the need for Nigeria to move beyond research into practical interventions that would directly benefit citizens.
He further challenged the team to focus on developing a vaccine, noting that vaccination remains the most effective means of controlling infectious diseases.
“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?”
“I know a vaccine is usually the most effective mode of disease control. You vaccinate people and they become almost immune. What is the fastest path, and how can TETFund support that drive so that we can achieve direct benefits and direct impact on the lives of Nigerians?”
He assured the researchers that TETFund would work with relevant government institutions to ensure that the findings translate into national health interventions.
“We will escalate these findings to the relevant authorities, including the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, and the Federal Ministry of Health. If we receive the validation we expect, it will strengthen our case for establishing a vaccine development centre in Nigeria,” he added.
He commended the researchers for producing findings capable of improving healthcare delivery.
“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.”
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Professor Francis Aba Uba, said the project is one of the most significant research investments ever made in the institution.
According to him, TETFund demonstrated remarkable foresight about four years ago when it awarded the university a N250 million Mega Research Grant to investigate Lassa fever.
“This significant investment was not merely financial support; it was an expression of confidence in the capacity of Nigerian scientists and institutions to generate evidence-based solutions to one of our nation’s most persistent public health challenges.”
Professor Uba noted that Lassa fever continues to pose serious medical, social and economic challenges across Nigeria and West Africa through recurrent outbreaks that claim lives, overstretch health facilities and threaten national health security.
He further said the project had produced valuable scientific evidence on the epidemiology, diagnosis, management and control of the disease while also strengthening the university’s research infrastructure and laboratory capacity.
“Beyond expanding the frontiers of knowledge, the project has strengthened our research infrastructure, enhanced laboratory capacity, developed young investigators, fostered national and international collaborations and produced findings capable of influencing clinical practice and public health policy.”
The Vice-Chancellor expressed appreciation to TETFund for believing in the relatively young university, while appealing to TETFund and the Federal Government to designate the university as a National Centre of Excellence in Infectious Diseases Research.
“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.”
Presenting the project’s 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.
“Our study investigated the prevalence of antibodies, identified rodent vectors, determined transmission patterns and examined the risk factors associated with Lassa fever infection.”
According to him, one of the major discoveries was that Benue State recorded the highest prevalence of Lassa fever antibodies among the five states surveyed.
The research also established that adults between the ages of 20 and 40 years had the highest exposure to the virus because of their frequent participation in farming and other outdoor activities.
“We found that people within the productive age group of 20 to 40 years had the highest antibody prevalence because they engage more in farming and activities that expose them to infected rodents.”
Professor Okopi disclosed that the researchers identified several environmental risk factors associated with infection, including poor housing conditions, rodent infestation, food contamination, leaking ceilings and poorly fitted doors.
He also revealed that the study produced surprising findings on disease transmission.
“We discovered that the commonly held belief that eating rodents is the major predictor of infection was not supported by our findings. Rodent consumption was not an independent predictor of Lassa fever infection.”
Also speaking, Professor Audu Onyemocho, who presented the clinical findings of the study, revealed that 1,266 participants were enrolled, while 392 suspected cases were investigated in Benue and Kogi states.
Out of the suspected cases, he said 43 tested positive for Lassa fever using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), with Benue accounting for 25 confirmed cases and Kogi recording 18.
Professor Onyemocho 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 of NEMA and currently the advisor of the research team, Professor John Idoko emphasised that vaccine development remains the ultimate goal.
