Conference Abstract | Volume 8, Abstract ELIC2025324 (Oral 140) | Published: 18 Aug 2025
Jide Idris1, Coordinating Secretariat2,&
1Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Abuja, Nigeria, 2Task Team on Effective Vaccine for Lassa Fever in Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria
&Corresponding author: Coordinating Secretariat, Task Team on Effective Vaccine for Lassa Fever in Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria. Email: nwiyi.ogochukwu@ncdc.gov.ng
Received: 26 May 2025, Accepted: 09 Jul 2025, Published: 18 Aug 2025
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Lassa fever, vaccines, regional health planning, international cooperation
©Jide Idris 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: Jide Idris et al., Translating national lessons into regional strategies for Lassa fever vaccine coordination. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2025;8(ConfProc5):00140. https://doi.org/10.37432/jieph-confpro5-00140
“Viruses know no borders” is an evergreen concept in global health security. Although Nigeria accounts for the majority of the burden of Lassa fever, the transboundary nature of outbreaks makes regional collaboration on vaccine development both a necessity and an opportunity. Nigeria’s experience in establishing a national task force offers a compelling case study in how country-level structures can contribute to regional governance models. This analysis explores how lessons from the Task Team on Effective Vaccines for Lassa Fever in Nigeria can inform the design and institutionalization of coordinated mechanisms for vaccine research, regulation, and distribution across West Africa.
The analysis is based on a review of task force documents, stakeholder consultations, and comparative analysis of regional health coordination frameworks using meeting minutes, clinical trial updates, and other sources. A thematic analysis was conducted to identify transferrable elements from Nigeria’s model of governance, stakeholder coordination, regulatory preparedness, and community engagement strategies applicable to regional vaccine initiatives.
In its first year of implementation, the Task Team on Effective Vaccine for Lassa Fever in Nigeria leveraged strong political leadership, inclusive stakeholder engagement, and multi-agency collaboration to foster an enabling environment for the vaccine development process. As a case study, it highlights critical components for effective vaccine coordination—particularly in governance, regulatory alignment, and resource pooling—that are transferable to a regional context. Priorities for regional adaptation include harmonizing regulatory pathways, expanding national task forces across countries, fostering South to South learning, and coordinating multi-country trials.
The Nigerian model demonstrates how national ownership, structured coordination, and early regulatory alignment can advance vaccine research and development. These elements offer a viable foundation for a regional coordination mechanism, anchored in political commitment, capacity building, and shared learning, that can provide an enabling environment for Lassa fever vaccine development across endemic countries.
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