Institute of Virology to Promote Research on Lassa Fever, Other Emerging Viral Diseases

•Says withdrawal of US grant stalling research on HIV-AIDS

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

As part of efforts to address the infectious diseases burden in Nigeria, Institute of Human Virology of Nigeria (IHVN) said it would encourage more researches into various types of infectious diseases confronting Nigeria with a view to finding lasting solutions to them.

The institute said the research on HIV-AIDS vaccine had slowed down due to the suspension of grant by the United States.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday ahead of its third Annual Scientific Symposium, to be held in Abuja, Chief Executive Officer of IHVN, Dr. Patrick Dakum, said the institute had decided to promote local research efforts in order to help address emerging threats of infectious diseases in the country.
Dakun gave key insights into the theme of this year’s symposium and its expected outcomes, saying it will consider ways to significantly advance health research and strengthening of health systems in Nigeria and beyond.

He explained that one of the areas that the institute was also paying attention to was disease surveillance and how best the country could utilise research efforts to resolve local health issues.

According to Dakun, part of the reasons for embarking on the research is to find out why some of the infectious diseases persist despite series of sensitisation on the importance of good hygiene practice by the people living in high risk areas.

While speaking on the areas of focus for the research, Executive Director, International Centre of Excellence, Professor Arash’le Abimiku, said the institute was engaging in research on some infectious diseases prevalent in the country, including Lassa Fever.

In the case of Lassa Fever, one of the key health challenges facing the country, Abimiku said the institute was interested in research on how vaccines could be used to tackle the disease scourge.

She said a lot of clinical trials for candidate vaccine for Lassa had taken place across West Africa, adding that Liberia, Senegal, Nigeria, and one other country are participating in that.

Abimiku stated, “So, concerning the Lassa virus, there’s a lot going on because it’s important to us. There’s a lot that’s happening in terms of Lassa Fever in the country. So, as you know, Lassa virus is across the whole of West Africa.

“So, one of the first research that we’ve done is to understand how the strains are changing from one year to the virus itself.

“The other thing that we’ve done is the rodent, the rat that carries this virus. What are its characters? What are the mannerisms? For instance, is the Lassa in Bauchi, the same as the Lassa in Edo.

“What are the differences in this Lassa? Because we need to understand the differences in the viruses, so that when you create a vaccine, you’re taking into recognition the differences.”

She added, “A lot has been happening in Lassa. We understand a little bit better that the strains have a little bit of mutations. I don’t know what changes that make them slightly different, but mostly the viruses across Nigeria are very similar.

“So that is good for vaccine, right? Because if you make one vaccine, it can cut across. We know that the habits of the rat have remained more or less similar in the last two years.”

Abimiku said the institute will ensure that local research endeavours were carried out in line with best global standards so that their outcome could be relevant anywhere in the world.

She also explained that the research for HIV-AIDS vaccine had been forced to slow down owing to the suspension of funding assistance by the United States government.

Abimiku said, “Our research on HIV-AIDS have been slowed down a little bit because of the funding, but we continue to do it. And if you talk to our chief operating officer, he has been pushing different governments and different organizations on why they should begin to fund research that we do so that such disruptions do not affect the work we do.”

Giving more insights on the expectations of the scientific symposium, the institute ‘s Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Charles Olalekun Mensah, said conferences, such as this, will provide the opportunity for scientists to be able to disseminate the outcome of their research and also network.