Mobilising trusted community voices to strengthen Lassa fever prevention in Nigeria

Akure, At a busy motor park in Akure, Ondo State, transport workers gather as a health promotion officer leads a sensitisation session on Lassa fever prevention. For many of them, daily interactions with commuters across rural and urban communities place them on the front lines of information sharing. Now equipped with practical knowledge and communication tools, they are helping to spread life-saving messages on how to prevent infection and seek care early within the communities.

Lassa fever remains a recurrent public health threat in Nigeria, particularly in high burden states such as Edo and Ondo. Transmitted through exposure to food or surfaces contaminated by infected rodents, the disease continues to cause significant illness and death, often worsened by delayed diagnosis and late care seeking.

To address these challenges, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), in collaboration with the Edo and Ondo State Governments and with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), is strengthening surveillance, improving early detection and case management, and expanding risk communication and community engagement.

A key focus of the intervention is mobilising trusted local networks to drive behaviour change. More than 80 community leaders, including traditional rulers, religious leaders, women and youth leaders, transport union representatives, farmers' associations and health promotion officers, have been engaged across 15 high burden local government areas to promote preventive practices and encourage early care seeking.

"Our response goes beyond the health sector," the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Dennis Idahosa, said. "By working with traditional and community leaders, we are ensuring that prevention messages reach every household and that people are empowered to take early action."

By equipping community leaders with clear, actionable information on prevention, symptoms and care seeking, the initiative aims to translate national response strategies into practical actions at the household level. This approach aligns with Nigeria's Incident Action Plan (IAP) for Lassa fever, which prioritises multisectoral coordination, strong risk communication, and community engagement.

From knowledge to action
Early signs of impact are already visible.
In Ondo State, members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) have taken ownership of awareness efforts. Following a sensitisation session led by the State Ministry of Health, 35 union executives committed to promoting Lassa fever prevention across their network.

"We travel to rural communities and interact with many people every day," said Comrade Amusa Adebayo Suleiman, Secretary of the NURTW in Ondo State. "We will support awareness efforts and encourage people to seek medical attention early when symptoms occur."

Union members are now displaying awareness materials in motor parks and on commercial vehicles, turning transport hubs into channels for health information. With thousands of commuters passing through these spaces daily, the initiative is significantly expanding the reach of prevention messages.

This demonstrates how engaging trusted groups can amplify impact, extending communication beyond formal health systems and embedding it within everyday community interactions.

Expanding reach, strengthening systems
Beyond individual actions, the intervention is improving how information flows within communities.
More than 3,800 Lassa fever information materials in Yoruba and English have been distributed across high burden areas, including households, markets, places of worship and transport hubs. These settings enable repeated exposure to key messages, reinforcing prevention practices and increasing awareness of early symptoms.

At the same time, collaboration between public health authorities and community actors has improved, supporting more coordinated messaging and faster dissemination of information during outbreaks.
Together, these efforts are strengthening risk communication systems, making them more responsive, locally relevant and accessible.
Trusted voices driving change

Community leadership remains central to sustaining these gains.
The First Lady of Edo State, Mrs Edesili Okpebholo Anani, emphasised that preventing Lassa fever requires consistent engagement at the community level, particularly in areas where awareness remains limited. She highlighted the role of local leaders in promoting safer practices and encouraging timely care seeking.

"Outbreaks are not stopped by information alone; they are stopped when people trust the source of that information and act on it," said Dr Adiji Ayodele Ojo, Permanent Secretary, Ondo State Ministry of Health.

"Traditional leaders understand the realities within their communities," said Chief Folorunsho Bukola, a traditional leader from Ondo State. "When prevention messages come from trusted local voices, people are more likely to listen, change behaviour and seek care early."

"Aligning Lassa fever prevention with Islamic teachings on hygiene will improve community acceptance of safe practices, said Alhaji Mohamodu Olaleye, Chief Imam at a mosque in Odigbo, LGA.

He emphasised that adapting burial rites, especially the washing of the deceased, with appropriate safety measures, is both religiously acceptable and necessary to protect lives.

Through engagement with mosques and Islamic schools, IEC materials were widely disseminated, strengthening awareness and encouraging community adherence to prevention measures.

"Trusted local voices make communities more willing to listen, adopt preventive practices and seek treatment early," said Mrs Hannatu Bello of NCDC's Risk Communication team.

Across communities, leaders are already taking action, integrating Lassa fever messages into sermons, community meetings and local gatherings, and promoting practices such as safe food storage, improved sanitation and early reporting of symptoms.

Strengthening response efforts
These community led efforts are complemented by broader national and partner support.
As of 21 May 2026, Nigeria had reported more than 842 confirmed Lassa fever cases and 208 deaths across 23 states, with Edo and Ondo among the most affected. The most affected age group is 21-30 years, and the male-to-female ratio for confirmed cases is 1:0.9.

With support from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) through the Contingency Fund for Emergencies, WHO supports Nigeria's Lassa fever preparedness and response by strengthening surveillance and early warning systems, improving health information management for data driven decision making, and enhancing risk communication and community engagement.
These efforts are expected to improve early detection and clinical management of cases, reduce infections among health workers, strengthen adherence to infection prevention standards, and enhance coordination across response pillars. Together, they contribute to more timely outbreak detection, improved quality of care, and reduced transmission in affected communities.

The intervention has expanded coordination across the health, agriculture, livestock, and environmental sectors, reflecting a One Health approach to outbreak prevention and control.

"Prevention begins at household and community level," said Dr Aurelien Pekezou, WHO Lassa fever Incident Manager. "Sustained awareness, early recognition of symptoms and prompt reporting are critical to saving lives."

Looking ahead
With community leaders actively promoting prevention messages across high burden areas, the initiative is helping to close the gap between policy and practice.

As Nigeria continues to respond to recurrent outbreaks, scaling up community centred approaches will be critical to sustaining progress. Strengthening trusted networks, investing in evidence based communication and maintaining multisectoral coordination will help reduce infections, promote early care seeking and build more resilient systems for future outbreaks.