The global effort to curb Lassa fever has gained fresh momentum as the Oxford Vaccine Group administered the first dose of a new Lassa fever vaccine to a volunteer in the United Kingdom.
The development, announced on Thursday, marks the official start of a first-in-human clinical trial for the ChAdOx1 Lassa vaccine.
The trial is being conducted in Oxford by the Oxford Vaccine Group, part of the University of Oxford’s Department of Paediatrics.
Thirty-one healthy adults aged 18 to 55 will participate in this initial phase, while a second phase-1 trial is expected to commence in Ghana in early 2026.
The study is funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations,CEPI, which earlier supported the vaccine’s preclinical development.
Prof. Ramasamy Maheshi, Chief Investigator of the trial, described the study as a crucial step toward protecting high-risk communities from a virus that has burdened West Africa for decades.
“Vaccines are one of the most powerful tools we have in global health: they save lives, stop outbreaks, and strengthen health systems,” she said.
Maheshi explained that the candidate vaccine was developed using the same platform as the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, estimated to have saved millions of lives worldwide.
Dr. Katrin Ramsauer, CEPI’s Lassa Disease Programme Lead, hailed the launch as a transformative milestone that reflects years of scientific progress and global collaboration.
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She noted that in addition to the trial, regional initiatives were ongoing to fast-track eventual licensure and ensure equitable access for populations most at risk.
She highlighted the work of the Lassa Fever Coalition, led by the West African Health Organisation,WAHO, with support from CEPI and other partners, in coordinating steps toward future rollout across affected countries.
Dr. Virgil Lokossou, WAHO’s Director of Healthcare Services, said Lassa fever had disrupted lives, families, and economies across West Africa for over half a century. He emphasised that the region was now taking decisive steps to change that narrative.
In Nigeria, health authorities—including the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention,NCDC, continue to battle seasonal outbreaks, with healthcare workers frequently among the most vulnerable.
If successful, the Oxford candidate could become one of the world’s first licensed vaccines for Lassa fever, a breakthrough experts say could significantly reduce illness, deaths, and socioeconomic losses across the region.
Lassa fever, first detected in Nigeria in the late 1960s, remains endemic in several West African countries.
Transmitted mainly through contact with infected rodents, the virus can cause severe complications such as deafness, bleeding, and death.
The consistent recurrence of outbreaks underscores the urgent need for a safe and effective preventive vaccine.
NAN
