Conference Abstract | Volume 8, Abstract ELIC2025380 (Poster 053) | Published: 31 Jul 2025
Quadri Mustapha1, Azeez Okikiola Lawal2,3,4,&, Feranmi Olu-ogunleye3, Johnson Etafo3, Nelson Adedosu3, Chukwudi Uzoagba-Onyekwere4, Habeeb Lawal5, Joseph Okoeguale6
1University of Salford, Manchester, United Kingdom, 2Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Kwara State University Malete, Nigeria, 3Federal Medical Centre Owo, Ondo, Nigeria, 4Equity Specialist Hospital Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria, 5Molecular Genetics and Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory, ATBUTH, Bauchi, Nigeria, 6Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo, Nigeria
&Corresponding author: Azeez Okikiola Lawal, Kwara State University, Nigeria, Email: Azeez.lawal16@kwasu.edu.ng
Received: 21 Apr 2025, Accepted: 09 Jul 2025, Published: 31 Jul 2025
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Lassa fever, Healthcare facilities, Preparedness, Response capacity, Qualitative research, Outbreak management, Community engagement
©Quadri Mustapha 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: Quadri Mustapha et al., Exploring the response capacity and preparedness of healthcare facilities in Nigeria to Lassa fever outbreak. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2025;8(Conf Proc 5):00197. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO5-00197
Since the 2021 Lassa fever (LF) outbreak in Nigeria, the country has experienced a consecutive increase in the number of new cases, and despite interventions from non-governmental organisations, financial and logistical barriers persist. This study explored the response capacity and preparedness of the two major LF hotspot healthcare centres in Nigeria during LF outbreaks, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH) in Edo State and Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owo in Ondo State.
A qualitative method was used. This involved the conduct of semi-structured interviews for 10 participants who are directly involved in the response to LF outbreak from FMC Owo and ISTH. The participants were four doctors, two medical lab scientists, two nurses, and two public health professionals. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the transcripts.
Three major themes were identified; active systems, current interventions, and connectivity with the community. Healthcare facilities are provided with active systems for LF diagnosis and management, such as wards, medications, and molecular laboratories. They are strained during outbreaks due to large influx of infected patients, delays in supplies, and shortage of healthcare professionals. A prominent ongoing intervention is the provision of free healthcare, but it is limited to FMC Owo. Other healthcare facilities charge out of pocket, which is not affordable for community dwellers in the rural areas, invariably increasing the spread of LF. Also, free LF screening is conducted by healthcare facilities, but challenges persist in inefficient sample collection and prompt diagnosis due to the large volume of suspected cases during outbreaks.
Healthcare facilities connect with communities by organising town hall meetings to correct the perceptions about LF because it is viewed as “induced death sentence.” A wellness team was also created to curb practices that increase the spread of LF. Continuous capacity building and stronger partnerships are recommended.
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