MSF Joins Fight Against Lassa Fever In Ebonyi

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), an international humanitarian organisation, also known as Doctors Without Borders, has joined the fight against Lassa fever in Ebonyi State, where repeated outbreaks of the deadly viral disease have overwhelmed health facilities and claimed the lives of healthcare workers.

The international group disclosed this in a press statement issued on Thursday.

The organisation said its response in the state began on 2 June 2018, during one of the worst Lassa fever outbreaks recorded in the region.

According to MSF, the 2018 outbreak hit the state hard, overwhelming health facilities and leading to multiple fatalities at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (AE-FUTHA), the state’s main referral centre.

16 health workers, including doctors, nurses, and cleaners, reportedly died from infection.

Nnennaya Ajayi, who served as head of clinical services at the virology unit during the outbreak, recalled the atmosphere at the time.

“There was panic, in the hospital, 16 healthcare workers passed away. People were afraid to go near the emergency room,” Mr Ajayi said.

MSF said although federal and state authorities had taken some steps–such as constructing an isolation ward and establishing a virology laboratory–AE-FUTHA was not equipped to manage the scale of the outbreak.

“Personal protective equipment was limited, infection control procedures were unclear, and test samples had to be sent to distant labs,” the statement read.

The organisation said its response began as an emergency intervention but later developed into a seven-year partnership with the Ebonyi State Ministry of Health.

According to MSF, the organisation helped to rebuild AE-FUTHA’s triage and observation units, introduced infection prevention and control (IPC) systems, and distributed personal protective equipment.

The group said it also carried out over 230 training sessions for medical staff and upgraded laboratory systems to enable faster diagnosis.

“They helped us structure patient flow, IPC and biosafety measures,they brought structure, training, and most importantly, hope,” Mr Ajayi said.

Speaking on the rationale behind the intervention, Alain-Godefroid Ndikundavyi, MSF’s most recent project coordinator in Ebonyi, said the organisation aimed to end the wave of preventable deaths.

Mr Ndikundavyi noted that another objective was to strengthen the hospital’s capacity to respond.

“Our main objective was to put an end to the series of avoidable deaths, we needed to reinforce the hospital’s capacity to treat and protect at the same time,” he said.

MSF said that between 2018 and 2024, it supported the treatment of 1,701 suspected and 427 confirmed Lassa fever cases.

It also covered the full cost of patient care, including dialysis, drugs, and meals, which the organisation said contributed to a significant drop in deaths.

One of the most notable outcomes, according to MSF, was a sharp reduction in fatalities among health workers.

The intervention, MSF said, also extended beyond hospital settings. Its teams conducted over 4,500 health education sessions and visited nearly 1,300 communities across Ebonyi to raise awareness and encourage early treatment-seeking.

The organisation also supported two rural primary health centres in Izzi Unuhu and Onuebonyi with training, laboratory equipment, medical supplies, and water towers to improve hygiene and early detection of the disease.

By December 2024, MSF said it formally handed over full control of the project to the Ebonyi State Ministry of Health and AE-FUTHA.

MSF also said it donated medical equipment, ambulances, and infection control materials as part of the handover and worked with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) to strengthen national disease response systems.

According to the statement, internal hospital committees were set up to maintain infection control and clinical care standards after MSF’s exit.

While Lassa fever remains a concern–24 confirmed cases and one health worker death were recorded at AE-FUTHA in 2024–MSF said conditions have improved significantly since 2018.

MSF is an international humanitarian organisation that provides medical care in conflict zones and during disease outbreaks.

Founded in 1971 by a group of French doctors and journalists, MSF operates in more than 70 countries and is funded largely through private donations.

The group is known for working in areas where access to healthcare is limited, often stepping in during emergencies when local health systems are overwhelmed.

MSF Joins Fight Against Lassa Fever In Ebonyi is first published on The Whistler Newspaper