Why regional cooperation matters in Lassa fever combat

Each year, as the dry season sweeps across West Africa, hospitals brace for the familiar surge of patients struck by Lassa fever.

From rural farms to bustling cities, the disease disrupts families, strains health systems, and threatens regional stability.

Health experts warn that climate change and population growth could put even more people at risk in the years ahead.

At an isolation ward in Ondo, Mrs Adejumoke Ige, a public health expert and mother, recalled being told to stop breastfeeding after testing positive.

Although it was painful, she said the free treatment, food and emotional support kept her going.

Moreover, patients from different walks of life found solidarity at the Federal Medical Centre in Owo, bonding over meals, ambulance waits and the struggle to survive.

“All of us survived, a rare triumph in the fight against one of West Africa’s deadliest diseases,” she said.

Her story puts a human face on the statistics.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Lassa fever infects hundreds of thousands annually in West Africa, killing nearly 4,000 people and costing the region about 110 million dollars in lost productivity.

Symptoms often begin mildly but can escalate to bleeding and organ failure.

Furthermore, survivors may also suffer permanent hearing loss, a hidden disability that affects livelihoods and social ties.

Nigeria carries the heaviest burden.

Between January and August 2025, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) recorded 6,851 suspected cases, 836 confirmed infections and 156 deaths.

The fatality rate of 18.7 per cent is among the highest in the world.

Yet progress has been uneven.

Virologist Prof. Oyewale Tomori insists that Nigeria has failed to sustain gains made in the past.

He noted that while the fatality rate was 27 per cent in 2019, it has since hovered around 17 to 18 per cent.

“We wanted it in single digits, we failed,” he said.

He criticised seasonal committees that disband after outbreaks instead of maintaining year-round preparedness.

“How do you expect communities to own the fight when you’ve not informed them? Education is the most important. Without it, we will continue losing lives unnecessarily,” he added.

The disease also threatens health workers.

For instance, NCDC’s National Infection Prevention and Control Coordinator, Dr Tochi Okwor, said 94.5 per cent of staff infections occur in outpatient units, where Lassa cases are not suspected early.

“Protecting healthcare workers is crucial for national health security,” she said.

Her concerns resonate strongly with frontline staff.

A nurse in Bauchi, Ms Saadatu Ahmed, recalled how they treated what they thought was malaria until bleeding started.

By then, it was too late for one of her colleagues.

“We need protective gear, training and recognition of the risks we face,” she said.

Meanwhile, at the community level, many families still consult traditional healers first, delaying hospital care.

In addition, Dr Yahya Disu, Executive Director of Afrihealth for Social Development and Impact, stressed that trusted local leaders remain underused.

“If you do not carry the people along, no vaccine will work,” he said.

For decades, West Africa faced vulnerability without a vaccine, though change is at last emerging.

In Abidjan, Health Ministers from 11 ECOWAS countries signed a communiqué pledging to co-finance and speed up vaccine development.

The meeting, convened by the West African Health Organisation (WAHO) with support from CEPI and IAVI, brought together Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, and Côte d’Ivoire’s Health Minister, Pierre N’Gou Dimba.

Significantly, the most advanced vaccine candidate, developed by IAVI with CEPI support, is already in Phase IIa trials in Nigeria, Ghana and Liberia.

Pate told delegates: “Here in Abidjan, West Africa is showing a new path: uniting not only to call for a vaccine, but to co-finance and prepare the systems that will make it real”.

WAHO’s Director-General, Dr Melchior Aissi, outlined the pledge as a “landmark commitment”.

However, some civil society groups urged caution.

Mrs Sanogo Solange of ASAPSU said past declarations on Ebola and cholera faded without action.

“The difference must be in follow-through: dedicated budgets, transparent monitoring and national ownership.

“Without accountability, we risk turning Abidjan into another forgotten communiqué,” she said.

Importantly, stakeholders also agree that vaccines alone are not enough.

In Liberia, Dr Minnie Sankawulo-Ricks of Phebe Hospital explained how community health workers, armed with simple tools like WhatsApp reporting, are vital for real-time surveillance.

In Guinea, Prof. Alpha Kabinet Keita pointed to advances in genomic sequencing, which cut Ebola confirmation times from three months in 2013 to just 24 hours by 2021.

“We must apply the same urgency to Lassa,” he said.

Likewise, from Sierra Leone, Dr Donald Grant stressed the importance of integrating hotlines, farm-based reporting and community surveillance.

“Ebola taught us resilience. We must build systems that capture signals not just in hospitals but also in farms and households,” he explained.

On the other hand, experts warn that weak infrastructure continues to undermine progress.

Prof. Benjamin Uzochukwu of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, noted that poor roads, weak internet connectivity and limited laboratories delay outbreak confirmation.

He also said donor dependence leaves systems vulnerable, while traditional beliefs and stigma fuel denial and late presentation.

“Rodents and travellers cross borders freely, but health data rarely does. That creates dangerous blind spots,” he said.

Adding his perspective, Dr Ibrahima Fall, CEO of Institut Pasteur de Dakar, remarked: “There is no global without local, no international without national. Without strong national platforms, regional cooperation cannot succeed”.

Similarly, closing the Abidjan meeting, Côte d’Ivoire’s Director-General of Health, Prof. Mamadou Samba, reinforced the call for local responsibility.

He said health in Africa is underfinanced and too often entrusted to external partners.

“But these are our diseases, our families, our populations. Our countries must take responsibility and invest more in their health systems,” he said.

Health experts who spoke with exclusively with the News Agency of Nigeria agreed that the next two years will be decisive.

They said the key questions are whether ECOWAS countries will back pledges with domestic budgets, whether surveillance platforms will finally share real-time data, and whether communities will be meaningfully engaged.

Consequently, they stressed that the answers will determine whether Abidjan becomes a turning point or another missed opportunity.

Health experts concluded that if West Africa sustains cooperation by investing in vaccines, protecting health workers, strengthening surveillance and engaging communities, it can defeat Lassa fever and set a precedent for future epidemics.