Uwaifiokun Okhuarobo (Lead writer)
The ECOWAS Lassa International Conference builds on the first convening held in Abuja in 2019, when the country came together to mark fifty years since the discovery of Lassa fever. Despite decades of scientific effort, no viable vaccine had yet been developed. That moment made clear just how urgently countries needed to act together. It also echoed the warning issued at the time by Professor Oyewale Tomori, renowned virologist and former President of the Nigerian Academy of Science, who argued that Lassa fever, identified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a priority pathogen, and must be treated as a matter of national priority.
Today, the stakes are even higher. Lassa fever remains one of West Africa’s most endemic threats — persistent and deadly, with Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, and Benin bearing the highest burden and the wider region increasingly at risk. Lassa fever remains one of West Africa’s most endemic threats. Each year it causes an estimated 100,000–300,000 Lassa Virus infections, with approximately 5,000 deaths, figures that are almost certainly underreported. Many survivors often live with lasting complications, while families and communities bear the economic and social burden. The financial burden is severe, with modelling suggesting $1.6 billion in cumulative societal costs over a decade and more than $338 million in government-reimbursed treatment expenses.
Shifting Dynamics of Lassa Fever Transmission
Lassa fever is a seasonal viral haemorrhagic illness that causes thousands of deaths each year across West Africa. With climate change altering rainfall, temperature, and habitat patterns, scientists warn that the geographic distribution of Lassa virus and the timing of outbreaks may shift, placing even more people at risk. The question now is, what is being done to protect communities from an evolving threat?
Environmental pressures and demographic changes, including rapid urbanisation are amplifying risks. Up to 700 million people in West Africa could face heightened exposure in the coming years. The disease’s impact is not limited to health, outbreaks strain fragile systems, disrupt economies, and undermine regional stability.
Coming Together on Lassa Fever in Abidjan
With these challenges in sharp focus, the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), together with Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and supported by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and IAVI, convened a Ministerial Roundtable during the ECOWAS Lassa International Conference in Abidjan.
Eleven health ministers or their representative from across the region were present, representing Benin, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Their participation reflected a growing recognition that Lassa fever is a critical regional health challenge. Rather than a technical exchange, the discussion reinforced that no country can address Lassa fever in isolation and that sustained collective action, a regional leadership will be essential. This recognition is central to strengthening preparedness and advancing vaccine readiness across West Africa.
As Dr Muhammad Ali Pate, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare of Nigeria, put it, “What we commit to today is bigger than one disease; it is a statement that Africa can mobilise its science, align its financing, and contribute decisively to global preparedness. If we hold this course, the legacy will be measured in lives protected and in a continent that helped safeguard the world from the pandemics of tomorrow”
Making a Lassa Vaccine a Reality
The absence of a vaccine has left communities exposed for more than fifty years. Despite decades of research, there is still no licensed vaccine for Lassa fever. Today, promising progress is within reach, with IAVI’s candidate now in Phase 2 clinical trials, the most significant milestone to date. Yet progress at this stage is fragile, requiring sustained late-stage funding, regional ownership, and political commitment to reach licensure.
As Dr Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI, explained, “CEPI is committed to working in close partnership with West African leaders to bolster regional health security by advancing the licensure of the first ever Lassa vaccine and strengthening the region’s capabilities to respond to other epidemic or pandemic threats.” His words reflected both the urgency of securing resources for late-stage trials and the broader opportunity to embed Lassa vaccine readiness within regional preparedness.
Dr Mark Feinberg, President and CEO of IAVI, reinforced this point: “We welcome this unprecedented opportunity to advance IAVI’s promising Lassa fever vaccine candidate in close partnership with West African governments, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, a regionally based manufacturer and regional scientific and public health leaders.” His remarks highlighted that successful licensure will depend on not only global support but also African scientific and manufacturing leadership.
WAHO, as the convener of the Lassa Fever Vaccine Coalition, has been central in preparing the ground, coordinating policy, research, and regional readiness. But as ministers acknowledged, sustained progress will only be possible with political ownership and domestic investment. Vaccines alone will not solve the challenge, health systems must be ready to deliver them, regulators must be equipped to license them, and communities must be engaged to trust and adopt them.
From Dialogue to Commitment
At the ministerial roundtable, discussions centred on some of the most pressing issues shaping the region’s fight against Lassa fever. The Ministers and their representatives examined how countries can better coordinate across borders, ensure sustainable resource mobilisation, and strengthen research and health system capacity to advance vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments.
Through the communiqué they signed, the Ministers turned these discussions into a set of concrete commitments that clearly showed a shift from dialogue to more committed action:
· Reaffirming political leadership by endorsing Lassa fever vaccine readiness as a regional strategic health priority and a critical pillar of pandemic preparedness.
· Recognising Lassa fever as a model for building more integrated and coordinated financing mechanisms that can serve broader epidemic and pandemic responses.
· Committing to shared financing of vaccine development, including IAVI’s Lassa vaccine candidate, alongside joint advocacy and regional coordination to mobilise resources.
· Strengthening research and regulatory platforms across West Africa, from trial sites and laboratories to community engagement and oversight bodies to prepare the region for late-stage clinical research and eventual vaccine licensure.
· Positioning vaccine readiness as a catalyst for wider system strengthening, ensuring that progress on Lassa fever also enhances the region’s resilience to future health threats.
These commitments were framed not only as technical solutions but more importantly, showed political will. As Dr Melchior Athanase Aïssi, Director-General of WAHO, reminded participants, “regional solidarity is our greatest asset, and WAHO will continue to drive this united approach.” His words reinforced that tackling Lassa fever is not simply a scientific challenge, but a collective political endeavour that requires unity across the region and shared responsibility. The COVID-19 pandemic as a recent example, demonstrates the importance of this unity.
What is Different This Time?
The meeting reframed Lassa fever as more than a health issue. It is a question of security and development. Eleven health ministers and their representatives committed through the communiqué to vaccine readiness, sustainable financing and stronger systems. If that momentum is sustained, West Africa could change the course of Lassa fever and be better prepared for the future epidemics.