The Executive Secretary of the 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 stated this in Abuja on Tuesday, 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.
Speaking at the event, Echono 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.
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.
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.
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.