Conference Abstract | Volume 8, Abstract ELIC2025342 (Poster 049) | Published: 31 Jul 2025
Ibrahim Bola Gobir1,&, Fatima Ohunene Sanni1, Winifred Sandra Ukponu1, Favour Eshofuneh Imiegha1, Azeez Akanbi Bello1, Piring’ar Mercy Niyang1
1Georgetown Global Health Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria
&Corresponding author: Ibrahim Bola Gobir, Georgetown Global Health Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria, Email: ibg7@georgetown.edu
Received: 30 Apr 2025, Accepted: 09 Jul 2025, Published: 31 Jul 2025
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Lassa fever Case Management
Keywords: Lassa Fever, Lassa Fever Clinical Management Fellowship, Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers, Health Care Workers, Capacity building, Outbreak response and preparedness
©Ibrahim Bola Gobir et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Ibrahim Bola Gobir et al., Piloting the Lassa Fever Clinical Management Fellowship (LFCMF) to support care and treatment for Lassa Fever in Nigeria: A descriptive study of the training. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2025;8(ConfProc5):00193. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO5-00193
Lassa Fever (LF) remains a persistent public health challenge in West Africa including Nigeria. As a viral hemorrhagic fever with a high transmission risk in clinical settings, LF endangers the general population and healthcare workers as the frontline workers in outbreak response. To strengthen national capacity for clinical management of LF, the Lassa Fever Clinical Management Fellowship (LFCMF) was piloted at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo state, one of the most affected states in Nigeria. This study presents the implementation and evaluation of the pilot of the LFCMF program in Nigeria.
18 training modules were adapted and updated from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control case management guidelines and delivered through a structured, harmonized curriculum. Quantitative data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. A process evaluation framework was employed, using pre- and post-training assessments to measure knowledge gains and participant perceptions of the training. 12 participants were purposively selected across six geo-political zones in Nigeria.
At baseline, 8.3% of participants demonstrated prior knowledge of Lassa Fever, and 16.7% reported no experience in managing LF. Additionally, 75% expressed concern about managing LF. However, following the training, participants reported an improved understanding of LF Clinical Management. 75% of the participants attested that the clinical work through sessions was well coordinated, while 100% agreed that the facilitators were engaging and used relevant, context-specific examples.
Our findings highlight the critical role of continuous professional development in improving preparedness and response among health workers, particularly in resource-constrained settings. Strengthening frontline capacity through targeted training initiatives like the LFCMF is essential for reducing the impact of LF outbreaks and enhancing the resilience of healthcare systems in endemic regions.
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