Abuja: The Federal University Teaching Hospital (FUTH), Lafia, is set to lead the establishment of Nigeria’s first vaccine research and development hub focused on Lassa fever and other infectious outbreaks. Dr. Ikrama Hassan, FUTH’s Chief Medical Director, unveiled the initiative during the inaugural vaccine research retreat.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Hassan shared that the project was inspired by his experiences growing up in Lafia, Nasarawa state, where a mysterious illness misdiagnosed as typhoid fever plagued communities annually. It was not until his studies at the University of Ibadan that he realized the illness was Lassa fever. As a trained physician and former Director of Health Planning, Research, and Statistics in the state, Hassan initiated the establishment of a vaccine research center in 2019. Despite its completion, the center remained dormant for over six years. Now, as the CMD of the host institution, he has prioritized activating the center, stating its impact will be monumental for Nasarawa State, Nigeria, and Africa.
To advance the project, Hassan has engaged key stakeholders, including Dr. Simon Agwale, a vaccine development expert and CEO of Innovative Biotech. Agwale, who also hails from Nasarawa, has begun building partnerships with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and other global health agencies to support the center.
Hassan noted the urgency of moving from reliance on imported vaccines to developing local solutions for diseases like Lassa fever, which is endemic in several Nigerian states, including Nasarawa. Despite its public health burden, there is currently no widely available Lassa fever vaccine in the country.
Speaking at the retreat, Agwale emphasized the power of vaccines in saving lives and preventing disease, citing the resurgence of measles in the U.S. as a cautionary tale of vaccine hesitancy. He highlighted challenges in Nigeria’s vaccine development, including limited early-stage research capacity and the absence of critical infrastructure. Agwale called for urgent investment in animal testing facilities, genomic labs, and other basic research infrastructure, emphasizing that science is not guesswork.
Agwale also noted that Nigerian biotech companies often perform roles meant for universities due to capacity gaps in academic institutions. He called for closer collaboration between academia, government, and industry, highlighting that locally developed vaccines can generate intellectual property to sustain universities financially. Agwale also pointed out the global disparity in health research funding, mentioning that the U.S. National Institutes of Health has a budget exceeding $40 billion, surpassing Nigeria’s entire national budget.