Prof. Alash’le Abimiku, Executive Director of the International Centre of Excellence (IRCE), has said that similarities among different Lassa virus strains offer hope for a single vaccine to protect against the disease across West Africa.
The IRCE, established in 2016 by the Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN), has focused on research into infectious diseases prevalent in the region.
Abimiku revealed this in an interview on Sunday in Abuja ahead of the institute’s 3rd Annual Scientific Symposium scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, with the theme: Combating Viral Threats through Public Health Response and Research.
She explained that the centre had carried out studies on both the virus and the rodents that transmit Lassa fever to understand how strains vary across states and countries.
“One of the first studies we did is to understand how the strains are changing. We also studied the rodent, the rat that carries this virus, its characteristics and behaviours in Bauchi, Edo and other states. This helps us determine if the strains are the same or different,” she said.
According to her, although the Lassa virus exhibits minor mutations, results so far show that strains across Nigeria are very similar.
“That is good for vaccine development because if you make one vaccine, it can cut across,” she said.
She described Lassa fever as an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus, transmitted to humans mainly through food or household items contaminated with urine or faeces of infected rats.
“According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), symptoms often include fever, general weakness, headaches, sore throat, chest pain, nausea, and in severe cases, bleeding from the gums, nose, or gastrointestinal tract. The disease is endemic in Nigeria, with cases reported annually in multiple states, particularly Edo, Ondo and Bauchi. Case fatality rates can reach up to 15–20 per cent among hospitalised patients, making it a major public health concern,” she said.
Abimiku stressed that the similarity of strains in Nigeria is significant because it increases the likelihood that a single vaccine could provide effective protection across the country and West Africa.
She added that several vaccine trials were already underway in Nigeria, Liberia and Senegal, noting that Nigeria’s research would play a critical role in shaping their outcomes.
She further noted that IHVN was committed to ensuring its studies met international standards so results could have global impact.
On HIV/AIDS, she said progress had slowed due to the suspension of U.S. government funding, but efforts were still ongoing.
“Our research on HIV-AIDS has been slowed down a little bit because of funding. Talk to our chief operating officer, he has been pushing different governments and different organisations on why they should begin to fund research that we do so that such disruptions do not affect the work we do,” she said.
She added that once a safe and effective vaccine is developed, it could be a game-changer in reducing the annual toll of Lassa fever in Nigeria and West Africa.
In week 34, NCDC confirmed three new Lassa fever cases with 160 deaths recorded in 2025. The three cases were in Edo and Ondo states, between Aug. 18 and Aug. 24, representing a drop from the five cases recorded the previous week.
So far in 2025, Nigeria has logged 857 confirmed cases and 160 deaths, a case fatality rate of 18.7 per cent, higher than the 17.1 per cent recorded in the same period in 2024.
According to the report, 21 states across 106 local government areas have reported at least one confirmed case, with Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Taraba and Ebonyi accounting for 90 per cent of infections. The most affected age group remains 21 to 30 years.
(NAN)