Lassa fever

CEPI's goal is to advance a Lassa fever vaccine to licensure for routine immunisation and outbreak response for affected countries. Find out more about this pathogen and our R&D efforts in this disease area.

Scanning electron micrograph of Lassa virus budding off a cell

What is Lassa fever?

Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic disease caused by the Lassa virus. It belongs to the Arenavirus family

Lassa virus is usually spread to people through exposure to food or household items that are contaminated with urine or faeces of infected Mastomys rats. 

Person-to-person transmission may occur after exposure to virus in the blood, tissue, secretions, or excretions of an individual infected with Lassa virus. 

In some regions of West Africa, where Lassa virus outbreaks are becoming more frequent, Mastomys rats are consumed as food—increasing the risk of disease transmission.

WHO has identified Lassa fever as a priority pathogen in urgent need of R&D because it poses a significant public health risk due to its epidemic potential. 

No Lassa fever vaccines are currently licensed for human use. A recent modelling study conducted by a consortium of researchers from the University of Oxford and the University of Liverpool, with support from CEPI, found that a safe and effective Lassa vaccine could save nearly 3300 lives over 10 years.

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90-95%

Number of human infections due to indirect exposure or direct contact with infected Mastomys rats

4

CEPI-funded Lassa vaccines in active development

3300

Potential lives saved over 10 years with the introduction of a Lassa vaccine

Where does Lassa fever occur?

Lassa fever occurs regularly in parts of West Africa, and is known to affect people in Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Nigeria. 

Climate change and population growth could further amplify the threat posed by Lassa fever, extending the reach the disease. 

Estimates of the annual number of Lassa virus infections in West Africa range from 100,000 to 300,000. 

However, these are likely to be underestimates because of challenges related to Lassa fever surveillance, such as difficulties in case detection as a result of nonspecific symptoms and limited access to specialised laboratories in affected countries.

People standing in a market filled with fruit and vegetable

What are the symptoms of Lassa fever?

Most people infected with Lassa virus are thought to have no symptoms. 

Those who are symptomatic can suffer from mild headache and fever to more serious symptoms like vomiting, swelling of the face, pain in the chest and back, and bleeding from body parts including the eyes and nose. 

It can also cause severe complications for mother and baby if pregnant women become infected, as well as leading to hearing loss in around a quarter of survivors. 

On average, 1% of cases are fatal.

retro photo of patient suffering from lassa fever lying on bed

How is CEPI responding to Lassa fever?

Moving Lassa vaccines towards licensure

CEPI is one of the world’s leading funders of Lassa fever research. 

Our goal is to support the development of one or more Lassa fever vaccines through to licensure, working with our partners in West Africa and across the world.

Research funded by CEPI and led by the Universities of Oxford and Liverpool and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine found that being vaccinated against Lassa fever would prevent millions of people from falling sick with the disease and facing prohibitive treatment costs that could otherwise push them below the poverty line

Specifically, deploying a safe and effective Lassa vaccine across 15 countries of continental West Africa could save nearly 3,300 lives over 10 years and avert up to $128 million in societal costs, new research by modelling experts shows.

To date, CEPI has invested in six vaccine candidates, four of which remain in active development. 

One of CEPI’s partners, IAVI, launched the first-ever Phase II clinical trial of a Lassa vaccine in Nigeria in April 2024. The study has now also launched at sites in Ghana and Liberia.

Later-stage trials are expected to take place in the coming years.

Should candidates be found safe and efficacious in clinical testing, our Lassa vaccine developers are committed to making their vaccines affordable and accessible to all populations in need.

View our Lassa fever vaccine portfolio
closeup shot of filling test tubes in advanced laboratory

The largest ever study of Lassa fever

CEPI created and funds Enable, the world’s largest ever study of Lassa fever set up to give researchers a better picture of the true disease burden. Findings from Enable will help us to better understand the number of people who are at risk of Lassa virus infection and who might benefit from Lassa fever vaccination. 

Over 23,000 participants have taken part across West Africa since 2019. To add to the research, in October 2024, CEPI expanded Enable with a new year-long study that will take an in-depth look at Lassa symptoms and potential co-infections like malaria.

Insights gained on the diversity of disease symptoms will enhance our understanding of Lassa fever, categorised into mild, moderate or severe cases. This information will be crucial in guiding where and how future late-stage vaccine trials are conducted and determining priority groups for receiving the Lassa vaccine once it becomes licensed in the coming years.

Learn more about the Enable Study
group shot of ENABLE researchers outside building all wearing masks

Strengthening regional collaborations in affected countries

Regional and national leadership from Lassa-affected countries are critically important to advance the development of vaccines that protect against the disease. 

CEPI maintains close engagement with institutions including the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control, as well as national public health agencies, such as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and Ministries of Health in the most affected countries. 

CEPI is also coordinating the ECOWAS RegECs Project, a collaboration between regulators, ethics committees, and the African Vaccine Regulatory Forum (AVAREF) network to support efficient management of clinical research in West Africa and to create a Lassa disease-related regulatory and ethics network. 

Learn more
Meeting attendees sat in a row with microphones

On-the-spot Lassa diagnostics

CEPI is funding a four-year project led by FIND to examine and evaluate all available point-of-care testing options for Lassa as well as Nipah, another CEPI priority pathogen.

High quality diagnostic tests are essential both for early pathogen detection to stop an outbreak and as part of the vaccine development process particularly for the optimal design and conduct of clinical trials.

FIND researchers will identify the criteria for an optimum rapid Lassa diagnostic test and select rapid tests to assess those criteria. Successful diagnostics will be progressed to licensure for widespread use.

Testing the tests with FIND
Lassa fever Diagnostics

Lassa fever news

Lassa Enable Study Village
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A Lassa vaccine is urgently needed to save thousands of lives

Dr. Bolaji (left) is the Nigeria-based HJFMRI principal investigator for the IAVI C105 Lassa fever vaccine clinical trial in Abuja, Nigeria. Credit: HJFRMI.
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Participants in Nigeria vaccinated in first-ever Phase 2 Lassa fever vaccine clinical trial

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Prepare to be prepared: leveraging West Africa's research ecosystem to strengthen outbreak response

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As CEPI ramps up vaccine research, a new study warns Lassa fever is set to expand its reach across Africa

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Largest-ever Lassa fever research programme launches in West Africa

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Themis Bioscience and CEPI Announce Initiation of Phase 1 Clinical Trial with Lassa Fever Vaccine

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CEPI partner Inovio Advances Lassa Fever Candidate Vaccine Into a Clinical Trial

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Lassa Fever – an emerging disease we should look out for