Lassa Fever: WAHO expands coalition to accelerate vaccine access in West Africa

Lassa Fever: WAHO expands coalition to accelerate vaccine access in West Africa

The West African Health Organisation (WAHO) has expanded its Lassa Fever Coalition to accelerate vaccine access in the region.

The announcement is contained in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, by Mr Alaba Balogun,  the Deputy Director of Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

The coalition, the ministry said, involves three prominent regional health organisations as new partners in its mission to fight Lassa fever and fast-track vaccine access across the region.

The partners are Corona Management Systems, Nigeria Health Watch, and Bloom Public Health.

The announcement was made recently during the annual ECOWAS Assembly of Health Ministers Meeting, marking a significant step forward for the coalition, which is supported by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) in Oslo / Bobo-dioulasso, Burkina Faso.

The newly on-boarded partners, it added will support the Coalition’s Secretariat, helping WAHO coordinate a locally led, regionally focused effort to develop, introduce, and ensure equitable access to Lassa fever vaccines.”

The Ministers of Health from Benin, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone countries most affected by Lassa fever are core members of the coalition.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, said that the expansion of the Lassa Fever Coalition was not just a strategic step, but a powerful affirmation of what was possible when African nations rise together in common cause.

Pate who is also the Chair of the ECOWAS Assembly of Health Ministers stressed that the new partnerships reflect a deeper regional shift toward health sovereignty.

“Under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, we are deliberately building resilient systems to anticipate and prevent outbreaks.

“This is more than a coalition, it is a blueprint for future epidemic preparedness and a model of how solidarity can deliver health security across West Africa and beyond.”

WAHO Director-General, Dr Melchior Aissi, emphasised the urgent need for transnational cooperation.

According to him, in today’s interconnected world, no single country can address Lassa fever alone.

“Our new partners bring critical expertise that will accelerate outbreak responses and enhance access to life-saving tools.”

Dr Chijioke Kaduru, Managing Director of Corona Management Systems and Coalition Secretariat spokesperson, said the new partners were proud to support WAHO in driving a unified regional response.

He added that by focusing on coordination, capacity-building and preparedness, the coalition could lay the groundwork for equitable access to Lassa fever vaccines.

CEPI CEO, Dr Richard Hatchett highlighted the critical role of the coalition’s expanded secretariat in turning vaccine research into reality.

“Their regional expertise is vital to creating an environment where vaccine development and access strategies can thrive,” he said.

The statement noted that the new secretariat will be headquartered in Nigeria, with teams also deployed in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Benin.

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Their work will include supporting vaccine research and development, liaising with developers and funders, strengthening scientific capacity for clinical trials, and creating end-to-end vaccine access plans tailored to regional needs.

It also said that WAHO will convene the second Lassa Fever International Conference (LIC) from Sept. 22 to Sept. 26 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, with the theme: “Beyond Borders: Strengthening Regional Cooperation to Combat Lassa Fever and Emerging Infectious Diseases.”

The Voice Media Trust (VMT NEWS) reports that Lassa fever, a viral haemorrhagic illness first identified over 50 years ago, continues to affect hundreds of thousands annually.

With unreliable diagnostics and frequent misdiagnosis, especially as malaria, the disease burden remains underestimated.

Severe symptoms occur in about 20 per cent of cases and can include bleeding, fever, chest pain and long-term complications like hearing loss and climate change and population growth are expected to dramatically increase the number of people at risk potentially reaching 600 million by 2050.

Recognising the disease’s public health threat, the World Health Organisation  placed it on its priority list for urgent research and development.