TETFund Urges Development of Nigeria's Lassa Fever Vaccine

TETFund's Executive Secretary, Sonni Echono, called on Nigerian scientists to develop the country's first indigenous vaccine against Lassa fever during a presentation in Abuja on Tuesday. This initiative is part of a mega research project sponsored by TETFund at the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo, Benue State.

Echono described Lassa fever as a persistent public health threat and stated that vaccine development is crucial for controlling the infectious disease. He urged TETFund to support efforts to accelerate vaccine development, which would directly benefit the lives of Nigerians.

The Federal Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) are expected to strengthen the case for establishing a vaccine development center in Nigeria. Prof.

Franci Aba Uba, Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Health Sciences, noted that the institution received a N250 million TETFund mega research grant four years ago to enhance research on Lassa fever. Nigeria records between 5,000 and 10,000 deaths annually due to this disease.