The avoidable deaths from Lassa fever

The latest figures on Lassa fever in Nigeria are both heart-breaking and unacceptable. According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), as of epidemiological week 24 of 2026, the country had recorded 214 deaths, while the case fatality rate had risen to 25 per cent from 18.8 per cent during the corresponding period last year.

Put differently, one in every four confirmed patients is dying. Such statistics should provoke outrage and trigger a national emergency response rather than another routine round of epidemiological updates.

What makes the situation particularly disturbing is that Lassa fever is no longer an unfamiliar or seasonal threat. For decades, Nigerians associated the disease with the dry season. However, over the past two years, outbreaks have persisted almost throughout the year, with only fluctuations in intensity. This changing pattern should have compelled governments at all levels to strengthen surveillance, improve preparedness and deploy emergency response mechanisms capable of containing outbreaks before they spiral out of control. Unfortunately, that has not happened.

Instead, what Nigerians see is the periodic compilation of infection and death figures by the NCDC. While surveillance and public information are essential, they cannot substitute for decisive action. A disease that has become endemic, continues to spread across states and is claiming hundreds of lives annually deserves to be treated as a national public health emergency.

More painful still is the growing number of frontline health workers who continue to pay the ultimate price in the line of duty. Doctors, nurses, laboratory scientists and other healthcare professionals have been infected while treating patients, exposing serious gaps in infection prevention and control. Their vulnerability suggests that health facilities remain inadequately equipped with protective materials, rapid diagnostic tools and isolation facilities. A country cannot hope to win the battle against infectious diseases while those leading the fight remain inadequately protected.

This newspaper warned about these vulnerabilities in an earlier editorial titled Lassa fever and a failing shield. We argued then that despite the recurring outbreaks, Nigeria was still relying on fragile surveillance systems, overstretched health facilities and inadequate investment in preparedness. We cautioned that temporary responses to recurring outbreaks would never substitute for building a resilient public health system. Sadly, recent developments have reinforced those concerns.

The rising fatality rate indicates that many patients are still not receiving timely diagnosis and treatment. Primary healthcare centres in many parts of the country remain ill-equipped to identify suspected cases early, while referral systems and laboratory capacity continue to fall short of what is required. These are systemic weaknesses that cannot be addressed only during periods of heightened transmission.

Equally important is prevention at the community level. Since the multi-mammate rat remains the primary reservoir of the virus, greater attention must be paid to environmental sanitation, proper food storage, waste disposal and sustained public education. Communities in endemic areas need continuous awareness campaigns rather than seasonal advisories that disappear once case numbers decline.

It is our considered opinion that Nigeria must rethink its long-term strategy. Lassa fever was first identified in the country in 1969 after an outbreak in the town of Lassa, in present-day Borno State. More than half a century later, it remains one of West Africa’s most persistent infectious diseases. Yet Nigeria still depends heavily on foreign partners for research support, diagnostics and technical assistance. This dependence should concern policymakers.

Like Ebola, which became the focus of intensive global scientific efforts after devastating outbreaks in Africa, Lassa fever deserves a coordinated research agenda led by Nigeria. We cannot continue to wait for international agencies and donor organisations to provide the breakthroughs needed to protect our people. Nigerian universities and research institutes possess capable scientists who should be empowered to lead this effort.

It is in this regard that the recent intervention by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) deserves commendation. Its Executive Secretary, Sonny Echono, challenged Nigerian scientists to identify the fastest pathway towards developing the country’s first Lassa fever vaccine during the presentation of the findings of a TETFund-sponsored Mega Research Project conducted by the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo. His assertion that Nigeria must move beyond generating scientific evidence to developing practical interventions that improve lives is timely and appropriate.

We endorse that challenge. The research team and scientists across the country should make vaccine development a priority, as immunisation remains the most effective weapon against infectious diseases. However, scientific ambition alone will not suffice. The federal and state governments must provide sustained funding, strengthen collaboration among universities and research institutions, and create an enabling environment for discoveries to move from laboratories to clinical application.

At the same time, governments must expand laboratory networks, improve disease surveillance, ensure adequate supplies of protective equipment and essential medicines, and equip health facilities to manage outbreaks more effectively. Emergency response mechanisms should be activated as soon as outbreaks are detected, not after casualty figures begin to mount.

Every death from a disease whose transmission pathways are well understood represents a failure of preparedness.

The country possesses the scientific expertise and institutional capacity to change this narrative. What has been lacking is sustained political commitment and strategic investment. The annual ritual of counting infections and deaths must give way to a comprehensive strategy that prioritises prevention, protects health workers, invests in research and accelerates the search for a locally developed vaccine. Nigerians deserve nothing less.

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