WAHO expands Lassa Fever Coalition to accelerate Vaccine Access in West Africa

In a bid to combat the dreaded Lassa fever and accelerate vaccine access across the region, the West African Health Organisation (WAHO) has announced a significant expansion of the Lassa Fever Coalition by adding Corona Management Systems, Nigeria Health Watch, and Bloom Public Health as new partners.

The announcement was made during the annual ECOWAS Assembly of Health Ministers Meeting in Oslo / Bobo-dioulasso, Burkina Faso.

A statement issued by Deputy Director Press and Public Relations in the Federal Ministry of Health, Mr. Alaba Balogun, indicates that the new partners will support the Coalition’s Secretariat by helping WAHO to coordinate a locally led, regionally focused effort to develop, introduce, and ensure equitable access to Lassa fever vaccines.

It also states that Ministers of Health from Benin, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, countries most affected by Lassa fever, are core members of the Coalition.

According to Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare and Chairman of the ECOWAS Assembly of Health Ministers, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, “the expansion of the Lassa Fever Coalition is not just a strategic step, it is a powerful affirmation of what is possible when African nations rise together in common cause.”

Professor Pate maintained that the new partnerships would 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”, he said.

WAHO Director General, Dr. Melchior Athanase Joël C. Aissi, emphasised the urgent need for transnational cooperation, noting that, “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.”

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

“By focusing on coordination, capacity-building and preparedness, we can lay the groundwork for equitable access to Lassa fever vaccines.”

The CEO of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Dr. Richard Hatchett, emphasised the crucial role of the Coalition’s expanded secretariat in advancing vaccine research into tangible solutions.

“The new secretariat will be headquartered in Nigeria, with teams also deployed in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Benin. Their work will include supporting vaccine R&D, liaising with developers and funders, strengthening scientific capacity for clinical trials, and creating end-to-end vaccine access plans tailored to regional needs.“

“Looking ahead, WAHO will convene the 2nd Lassa Fever International Conference (LIC) from 22–26 September 2025 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, under the theme: ‘Beyond Borders: Strengthening Regional Cooperation to Combat Lassa Fever and Emerging Infectious Diseases.”

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 for malaria, the disease burden remains underestimated.

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

Recognising the significant public health threat posed by Lassa fever, the World Health Organisation has prioritised it for urgent research and development.

Ifeoma Nwovu