Experts push for stronger control of Lassa fever

Public health experts on Wednesday urged immediate reinforcement of infection control systems in Nigeria amid rising Lassa fever cases.

They emphasized the urgent need for infection prevention and control,IPC, measures across hospitals and communities to combat infectious diseases.

The call was made during the third Lassa Fever Clinical Management Training held in Abuja by the Nigeria Centre for Disease and Prevention Control, NCDC, themed “IPC Considerations for Lassa Fever: What Healthcare Workers Should Know.”

Dr Ibrahim Mohammed, Head of Microbiology and Immunology at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe, stressed that any organism—inside or outside medical settings—can be dangerous without strict IPC compliance.

Mohammed noted that regular IPC training for healthcare workers was essential to improve their attitudes and behaviours toward infection control.

“It is not a one-time activity,” he said, “Continuous training creates lasting behavioural change in IPC adherence.”

He identified hand hygiene and the availability of personal protective equipment,PPE,as major tools in preventing infection transmission.

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“The most common mode of hospital-based transmission is contact through hands. Hand hygiene facilities must be present and effectively used,” he added.

On Lassa fever, Mohammed urged stronger surveillance and contact tracing, emphasizing a multi-sectoral, “One Health” approach that integrates health, agriculture, and environmental sectors.

Dr Hafizah Suleiman, Infectious Disease Specialist and Head of Treatment Centre, ATBUTH Bauchi, shared a tragic incident involving a 35-year-old laboratory scientist who died from Lassa fever due to systemic IPC failure.

Suleiman said the victim contracted the disease while caring for her mother at home, where safety protocols were ignored—no gloves, no hand hygiene, and poor waste handling.

“These preventable lapses led to a fatal outcome,” she said, highlighting the dangers of treating infectious patients outside isolation and without proper precautions.

She advocated for sustained public health education, improved hygiene practices, routine equipment decontamination, and consistent use of PPEs.

Participants agreed that stronger IPC systems and coordinated surveillance are critical to reducing Nigeria’s disease burden and saving lives.

NAN