For decades, Lassa fever has haunted West Africa, striking silently and often fatally. Each year, it infects as many as 300,000 people, with hospital fatality rates climbing above 20%. For pregnant women, the odds are even worse; 95% of infected pregnancies end in miscarriage.
Recently, Nigeria joined a $6.4 million international research consortium to speed up the development of a vaccine against the deadly disease.
The initiative, known as “Unravelling natural and vaccine-elicited immunity to Lassa fever (UNVEIL)”, is led by the University of Texas Medical Branch and funded by the “Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)”.
With three Nigerian teaching hospitals – Jos, Irrua, and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa – serving as frontline sites, this collaboration signals a new chapter in the fight against a disease that has long plagued the region.
Over the years, Nigeria has fought back against Lassa fever with small but steady steps. Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, in particular, has been a national stronghold, setting up isolation wards and diagnostic centres when outbreaks threaten to spiral out of control.
The Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), in partnership with local and international organisations, has built systems for quicker detection and mobile testing, ensuring that suspected cases no longer wait weeks for results.
Community campaigns have also raised awareness, teaching people how to minimise risks from rodents, which spread the virus. These efforts, though not eliminating the disease, created a foundation strong enough for Nigeria to join the global stage of vaccine research.
The new project takes the fight further, shifting the focus from treating outbreaks to preventing them altogether. The major goal of UNVEIL is the search for immune markers, which are tiny signals in blood or cells that can reveal whether someone is protected against the disease.
Finding these markers is like discovering a shortcut. Instead of waiting for years of large-scale trials, scientists could simply run a blood test to measure if a vaccine works.
“Once we can measure protection in a blood test instead of a prolonged clinical trial, we can deliver vaccines to impacted communities much faster,” explains Courtney Woolsey, the project’s lead investigator.
This is a game changer for a region where every delay costs lives, especially among vulnerable groups like children and pregnant women.
Beyond vaccines, the consortium is investing in people and institutions. Nigerian hospitals involved in the project will gain advanced training in diagnostics, biobanking, and clinical research.
This means that local doctors, scientists, and health workers will contribute to the research and also build expertise that will stay in the country.
UNVEIL is flipping that script by putting Nigerian and Sierra Leonean scientists at the centre of the discovery. It is a model of shared learning, where African and Western experts in virology, immunology and clinical care join forces under a “Team Science” approach.
What emerges from this collaboration is a vision of resilience and shared responsibility. For too long, West Africa has had narratives about its outbreaks like Ebola, Lassa and others, each one exposing fragile health systems.
But with UNVEIL, the narrative shifts. Nigeria is reacting to crises and shaping global solutions. If the project succeeds, it won’t just bring the world closer to a Lassa fever vaccine; it will also create a blueprint for tackling other deadly diseases.
Through this, Nigeria becomes a survivor of epidemics and an active contributor shaping the future of epidemic preparedness.
Lassa fever, which affects up to 300,000 people annually in West Africa with fatality rates over 20%, particularly impacts pregnant women, heightening the risk of miscarriage to 95%. To combat this, Nigeria has joined a $6.4 million research consortium, "UNVEIL", led by the University of Texas Medical Branch and funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), aimed at developing a vaccine. The initiative fosters collaboration among Nigerian hospitals and international partners, focusing on identifying immune markers that can expedite vaccine effectiveness testing through blood tests instead of prolonged clinical trials, thereby fast-tracking vaccine delivery to at-risk communities.
The ongoing efforts also include advanced training in diagnostics and research, empowering Nigerian health workers and institutions to contribute significantly to the fight against Lassa fever. This initiative represents a model of shared learning between African and Western scientists, poised to bolster resilience and shared responsibility in battling outbreaks. Successful outcomes from the UNVEIL project could offer a template for addressing other deadly diseases, transforming Nigeria from a passive recipient of epidemic impacts to an active leader in global health solutions and epidemic preparedness.
