Nigeria and other West African countries affected by Lassa fever have welcomed the news that the Oxford Vaccine Group has vaccinated the first volunteer in a first-in-human clinical trial of its Lassa vaccine.
Gatekeepers News reports that Nigeria remains the most affected country globally, with Lassa fever claiming thousands of lives annually. The virus, first discovered in Nigeria in the late 1960s, continues to pose a major public health threat across the region.
The CEPI-funded phase 1 trial is taking place in Oxford, with a second phase expected to begin in Ghana early next year. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has designated Lassa fever as a priority pathogen requiring urgent research and development because of its epidemic potential and significant health risk.
The Oxford Vaccine Group confirmed that the first volunteer has now received a dose of the ChAdOx1 Lassa vaccine — a development described as a major milestone in the effort to combat the deadly virus. The study will evaluate the vaccine’s safety and the type of immune response it generates. A total of 31 healthy adults aged 18 to 55 will participate.
Lassa fever is transmitted primarily through rodents and can lead to severe illness, including deafness, internal bleeding and death. Despite decades of outbreaks across West Africa, no licensed vaccines or treatments currently exist.
Experts warn that up to 700 million people could be living in regions at risk of Lassa fever by 2070, underscoring the urgency of vaccine development efforts.
