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. 2020 Oct 27:37:179.
doi: 10.11604/pamj.2020.37.179.26425. eCollection 2020.

Research as a pillar of Lassa fever emergency response: lessons from Nigeria

Adebola Tolulope Olayinka  1 , Chioma Dan Nwafor  2 , Adejoke Akano  2 , Kamji Jan  2 , Blessing Ebhodaghe  2 , Kelly Elimian  2 , Chinwe Ochu  2 , Tochi Okwor  2 , Oladipupo Ipadeola  2 , Winifred Ukponu  3 , Ifeanyi Okudo  1 , Clement Peter  1 , Elsie Ilori  2 , Chikwe Ihekweazu  2
Affiliations

Research as a pillar of Lassa fever emergency response: lessons from Nigeria

Adebola Tolulope Olayinka et al. Pan Afr Med J. .

Abstract

Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases are becoming more frequent and developing countries are especially at increased risk. A recurring infectious disease outbreak in Nigeria has been that of Lassa fever (LF), a disease that is endemic in Nigeria and other West African countries. Nigeria, between 1st January and 27th October 2019, reported 743 confirmed cases of LF and 157 deaths in confirmed cases. Lassa fever outbreaks continue to be recurrent after fifty years of its identification. The true burden of the disease in Nigeria is unknown while gaps in knowledge about the infection still persist. Based on the Nigeria national Lassa fever research agenda and the World Health Organisation's roadmap initiative for accelerating research and product development which enables effective and timely emergency response to LF disease epidemics among other infectious diseases; a research pillar was added to the seven existing LF emergency operations centre response pillars in 2019. We describe lessons learnt from the integration of a research pillar into the LF national emergency response.

Keywords: Lassa fever; health emergencies; infectious disease outbreaks; operational research.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

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