Popular physician, Tochi Okwor, has said the 2018 Lassa fever outbreak exposed critical gaps in the nation’s infection prevention and control (IPC) system.

Ms Okwor is the head of disease prevention and control at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).

She made the assertion while sharing her experience of the 2018 Lassa fever crisis on Tuesday in Abuja.

Lassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic disease caused by the Lassa virus, primarily spread through contact with food or household items contaminated by infected rodents’ urine, faeces or saliva.

Human-to-human transmission also occurs, particularly in healthcare settings with poor IPC measures.

According to Ms Okwor, the crisis overwhelmed Nigeria’s healthcare system and exposed critical gaps in the infection prevention and control (IPC) system.

She decried that despite previous advocacy and curriculum development on IPC, hospitals had not fully integrated the necessary preventive measures into daily practices.

Ms Okwor recalled how the 2018 outbreak rapidly escalated, infecting 44 healthcare workers due to inadequate IPC protocols.

“Every infection was a wake-up call, a reminder of the vulnerabilities in our system,” she said.

She described how hospitals, meant to be havens, became hotspots for disease transmission, with overcrowded emergency departments and makeshift holding areas for suspected Lassa fever patients.

“The human cost was palpable,” she noted, saying “those 44 infected healthcare workers were more than statistics; they were frontline defenders whose safety was compromised.”

In response to the gaps, Ms Okwor led a series of nationwide assessments using the WHO Infection Prevention and Control Assessment Framework (IPCAF).

“These evaluations extended beyond immediate treatment centres to entire hospitals, collecting critical data that exposed systemic weaknesses. This evidence paved the way for bold recommendations aimed at overhauling IPC practices—not just as an emergency response, but as an integral part of routine healthcare,” she explained.

Ms Okwor said she helped develop an IPC scorecard, now being used in hospital audits and national health facility assessments to ensure that IPC measures were consistently maintained.

She said, “It wasn’t enough to simply respond to outbreaks; we needed a lasting system to protect our healthcare workers every day.”

Ms Okwor stressed that IPC must be a core component of hospital operations, protecting both patients and healthcare workers.

“If hospitals are to remain safe spaces, robust infection control cannot be an afterthought. It must be the foundation of every healthcare system,” she added.

As Nigeria continues to strengthen its IPC framework, she noted that the lessons from 2018 remained deeply ingrained in those who experienced the outbreak firsthand.

According to NCDC data, Lassa fever cases declined in Epidemiological Week 9 of 2025, with 29 new cases recorded across nine states, down from 54 cases in the previous week.

However, the fatality rate remains high at 18.7 per cent, with 100 deaths reported so far this year.

Ondo, Bauchi, and Edo states account for 72 per cent of all confirmed cases, with Ondo leading at 31 per cent.

Additionally, one more healthcare worker was infected, bringing the total number of affected health workers in 2025 to 17.

Nigeria records Lassa fever cases year-round, with peak transmission occurring between October and May.

Ms Okwor’s efforts to enhance IPC policies and practices serve as both a call to action and a testament to the resilience of Nigeria’s public health sector.

Her story highlights the importance of bold, data-driven leadership when lives are at stake. 

(NAN)