News Investigators/ A virologist, Oyewale Tomori, has faulted the handling of Lassa fever outbreaks in Nigeria, stating that in spite decades of response efforts, the country has failed to reduce the disease’s fatality rate to single digits.
He spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of the 2nd Lassa Fever International Conference in Abidjan.
Prof. Tomori, a former President of the Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS), lamented that Nigeria’s case fatality rate remained between 16 and 20 per cent annually, which was far above the international target of less than 10 percent.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference, with the theme, “Beyond Borders: Strengthening Regional Cooperation to Combat Lassa Fever and Emerging Infectious Diseases,” seeks to reaffirm regional commitment, mobilise political will, and drive collective action against viral haemorrhagic fevers (VHFs).
“In 2019, the fatality rate was 27 per cent. Since then, it has hovered around 17 or 18 per cent. The aim was to bring it below 10, but we’ve not done so. That’s a failure,” he said.
He faulted the country’s reliance on seasonal emergency committees each December and January, instead of sustained year-round prevention.
According to him, Oct.1 should be declared the start of the Lassa fever preparedness season, with awareness campaigns launched before the peak period.
He stressed that surveillance and early detection remained Nigeria’s biggest gaps, arguing that even ongoing Lassa fever vaccine trials would not substitute for strong community-based prevention.
“Even when the vaccines come, who is going to find the money to buy them? The essence of surveillance is that you nip it in the bud. If you catch it early, it doesn’t become a big epidemic,” he said.
The virologist also raised concerns about diagnostic gaps, citing instances where out of 10,000 suspected cases, only 1,000 are confirmed.
He urged research institutions to improve testing tools to capture other viral haemorrhagic fevers that may be overlooked.
He emphasised the need for community education and ownership, pointing to persistent denial, stigma, and the deaths of frontline health workers from treating undetected cases.
“How do you expect communities to ‘own’ the fight against Lassa when you’ve not informed them? Education is the most important.
“Doctors and nurses are dying in hospitals because they treated Lassa patients. These are facts we should use to convince communities,” he added.
He faulted weak logistics support for surveillance officers, saying capacity building meant little when health workers lacked vehicles or resources to respond to outbreaks.
According to him, many of the people working on this have no mouth to tell the truth.
“They cover things up, and that makes it worse for us every time”.
He maintained that unless Nigeria prioritises surveillance, community awareness, and honest leadership, Lassa fever would continue to claim lives unnecessarily.
NAN
