Last week was a big deal in Abuja as Nigeria’s capital city hosted the Lassa Fever International Conference which coincided with the 50th anniversary of the viral hemorrhagic fever that was described for the first time in Nigeria.
For me, it was also my first time in Abuja in 2019 and I became very curious to know the latest developments in Lassa fever research and truth be told, the conference did not disappoint.
Researchers and experts in the field of Lassa fever from across the world lived up to expectations. They shared preliminary results of numerous ongoing studies even as regulators expressed their commitment towards ensuring that effective interventions are not delayed unnecessarily.
But on the sidelines of the conference, I was busy with something else.
I was having discussions with the various stakeholders in the field of Lassa fever in Nigeria. From the country representative (Nigeria) of the World Health Organisation (WHO) to last-mile project managers in Edo and Ebonyi, everyone exuded confidence in the ability of their ongoing intervention programs to bring about the much needed succor and end to the scourge.
But I noticed a trend, no one would tell me when they believe the Lassa fever outbreak will end. I asked the question — how soon will Nigeria stop recording new cases?
Then I began to ponder. If what these people were telling me were sincerely true, why can’t they give a rough estimate of when they expect the country to be declared free of Lassa fever?
Throughout the first day of the conference, I was scratching my end for answers. But when the guest speaker at the opening ceremony, Prof Oyewale Tomori, began to speak, I began to realise why no one wanted to tell me in affirmative terms when they believe Lassa fever would leave Nigeria.
According to him, most of what he said at the conference were taken from his presentation at a similar event to mark the 35th (or thereabout) anniversary of Lassa fever in Nigeria. He said nothing much has changed. He made several compelling arguments that were impossible to dispel and I had to catch up with him the next day to get a much clearer picture of what is truly happening.
For over one hour, the Nigerian professor of virology told me how things deteriorated and Nigeria made itself more welcoming for Lassa fever. He gave several instances where the same sets of recommendations were given but were not implemented — even those that were provided at the same venue but years apart.
Prof Tomori who is a regular reader of this editorial drew a connection between Nigeria’s struggle to control Lassa fever and the unending Ebola outbreak in DR Congo.
When I read the headlines of media coverage on the conference, they largely focused on the Lassa fever vaccine projects which were largely presented as the final nail to the coffin of Lassa fever in Nigeria. But the various vaccine candidates are still far from completing the clinical trials.
Furthermore, the vaccines are expected to encounter numerous regulatory hurdles since several of them are combining three or more components that will address different processes.
Even when the vaccines are available, Nigeria’s current vaccine coverage indicates that not everyone will have access to the vaccines. But there is an intervention that everyone can do and is effective. Hygiene.
Infection prevention and control (IPC) has proven effective in preventing exposure of health workers to Lassa fever at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital although health workers in Ebonyi and several other locations ravished by Lassa fever continue to be exposed.
“It is highly suicidal for healthcare workers to be infected with the Lassa fever.”
Instead of waiting for vaccines, IPC should be propagated, enforced and domesticated. It is only when these have been achieved that anyone can start talking about when the Lassa fever scourge can end. The good thing about IPC is the fact that it confers protection on individuals against numerous deadly diseases, not just Lassa fever.