In the past 50 years since Lassa was first discovered, Nigeria has had a yearly outbreak of the disease which is endemic to many West African countries and is transmitted by a rather ubiquitous household pest.
It is also worthy to note that Lassa virus is a less deadly relative to the Ebola virus.
The 2018 Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria may have been the most severe in recent years and was protracted despite the efforts of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
In a developing nation like Nigeria with its twin burden of diseases both infectious and non-infectious, the NCDC is particularly central to the achievement of good health for all.
The agency led by Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu is hosting the first-ever International Conference on Lassa Fever with the theme “50 years of Lassa Fever: Rising to the Challenge.”
The conference will hold on the 16th – 17th of January 2019 at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja and public health specialists and researchers from across the world will be hosted to stimulating sessions on vaccines and innovations, policy direction, pest and environmental control for Lassa fever and virus.
The lineup of panelists includes national and international public health figures including Dr Faisal Shuhaib, David Heymann, Niniola Soleye, Sylvie Briand, John Nkengasong and Njidda Gadzama.
Others are Prof Christian Happi, Dr Ana Maria Henao-Restrepo, Prof Daniel Bausch, Prof William Kwabena Ampofo, Prof Stephan Gunter, Dr Pierre Formenty, Mrs Elsie Ilori, Prof Sylvanus Okogbenin, Prof Oyewale Tomori.
To encourage young researchers, scholarships covering registration and accommodation were offered through a competitive process to 70 researchers presenting abstracts at the conference.
Abstract submission and conference registration are now closed but more information about the conference can be obtained at lic.ncdc.gov.ng
