The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) has challenged Nigerian researchers to identify the fastest route to developing the country's first Lassa fever vaccine, warning that thousands of Nigerians continue to die annually from a disease that science has the capacity to control.

Speaking in Abuja during the presentation of findings from the TETFund sponsored Mega Research Project on Lassa Fever conducted by the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo, Benue State, TETFund Executive Secretary Dr Sonny Echono said Nigeria must move beyond generating scientific evidence toward practical solutions.

"What is the shortest route towards developing a vaccine? How can we ensure that the burden on our people is reduced? Every year, thousands of Nigerians die from Lassa fever. I know a vaccine is usually the most effective mode of disease control. What is the fastest path, and how can TETFund support that drive so that we can achieve direct benefits and direct impact on the lives of Nigerians?" Echono asked.

He assured the team that findings would be presented to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the Federal Ministry of Health to facilitate policy action and strengthen the case for establishing a vaccine development centre in Nigeria.

Principal Investigator Prof. Joseph Okopi disclosed that Nigeria bears the highest global burden of Lassa fever, with between 5,000 and 10,000 deaths recorded annually. His team identified adults aged between 20 and 40 as the most exposed group due to farming and outdoor activity, with Benue State recording the highest antibody prevalence among five surveyed states. The study also overturned a widely held assumption about transmission.

"We discovered that the commonly held belief that eating rodents is the major predictor of infection was not supported by our findings. Rodent consumption was not an independent predictor of Lassa fever infection," Okopi said.

FUHSO Vice Chancellor, Prof. Francis Aba Uba, described the ₦250 million grant awarded four years ago as a vote of confidence in Nigerian science and appealed for the university to be designated a National Centre of Excellence in Infectious Diseases Research. Former NEMA Director General and research adviser Prof. John Idoko stressed that vaccine development remained the project's ultimate objective.