Conference Abstract | Volume 8, Abstract ELIC2025160 (Oral 091) | Published: 12 Aug 2025
Kamji Jan1,&, Adebola Olayinka2, David Dogo1, Michael Adebisi3, Lynn Sase1, Danny Osogun4, Benedict Azuogu5, Olufemi Ayodeji6, Elsie Ilori3, Mandi Henshaw7, Suzanne Pentfold8
1Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Abuja, 2World Health Organization (WHO), Afro Brazzaville, 3Nasarawa State University, Keffi (Global Health and Infectious Diseases Institute), 4Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH) Irrua, Edo State, 5Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (AEFUTHA), Ebonyi State, 6Federal Medical Centre Owo (FMCO), Ondo State, 7Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI), 8P95, Epidemiology and Pharmacovigilance, Leuven, Belgium
&Corresponding author: Kamji Jan, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Abuja, Nigeria. Email: kamji.jan@ncdc.gov.ng, kamjimj@gmail.com
Received: 11 Apr 2025, Accepted: 09 Jul 2025, Published: 12 Aug 2025
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Verbal Autopsy, Lassa fever, NiLE, death
©Kamji Jan 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: Kamji Jan et al., Exploring the use of verbal autopsy to determine causes of death: Findings from the CEPI-Funded Nigeria Lassa Epidemiology (NiLE) study. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2025;8(ConfProc5):00091. https://doi.org/10.37432/jieph-confpro5-00091
Reliable mortality data are essential for shaping public health responses and disease control strategies. In Nigeria, the absence of comprehensive death registration systems and limited autopsy practices hinder accurate cause-of-death documentation. Verbal autopsy (VA), which involves interviewing relatives of deceased individuals to determine probable causes of death, presents a feasible alternative in low-resource settings. This study examines the use of VA in the NiLE study across three Nigerian states.
Conducted in Edo, Ondo, and Ebonyi states with 7,041 participants recruited and followed for at least two years. Verbal autopsies were conducted after participant deaths through structured interviews with family members knowledgeable about the condition of the deceased. Data on symptoms, underlying conditions, and healthcare-seeking behavior were collected using a standardized tool and analyzed descriptively to understand mortality patterns in these Lassa fever-endemic regions.
Out of 110 deaths, only 77 verbal autopsy (VA) records were completed. Among these, 14 (18.1%) met the case definition of fever plus one other symptom, though none were Lassa fever discharge cases. Most deaths (84.3%) occurred in individuals aged 41 and above. Common symptoms before death included fever (22.1%), headache (19.5%), and abdominal pain (11.7%). Only 32.4% sought hospital care before death. Hypertension and diabetes were frequently reported underlying conditions. Among the 77, 22 (28.6%) had only primary or no education, and just 2 (9.1%) of them accessed healthcare. Lower education and unemployment were linked to reduced healthcare utilization.
Conducting surgical autopsies in Lassa fever high-burden areas poses significant infection risks, especially in resource-limited settings. Verbal autopsy offers a safer, practical alternative for identifying likely Lassa-related deaths. Integrating verbal autopsy into routine mortality surveillance in Nigeria could improve death data accuracy and support evidence-based public health actions and targeted interventions in affected regions.
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