Health

A candidate vaccine against Lassa fever has shown a strong safety profile and encouraging immune responses in a phase 1 clinical trial, raising hopes for a long-sought preventive tool against the viral disease endemic in parts of West Africa. The vaccine, a replication-competent recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus-vectored formulation encoding the Lassa virus glycoprotein complex (rVSVΔG-LASV-GPC), was tested in 114 healthy volunteers in the United States and Liberia. Researchers reported no vaccine-related serious adverse events and no cases of hearing loss, a known complication of Lassa fever.

Nigeria's Lassa fever outbreak has spread to 21 states and 103 local government areas this year, with four states, Ondo, Bauchi, Edo and Taraba, accounting for about 89 per cent of all confirmed cases, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC). Ondo recorded the highest number of infections, followed by Bauchi, Edo, and Taraba.

The African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE), has recorded major clinical breakthroughs with the successful completion of its first open-heart surgery and the delivery of West Africa's first Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) for lung cancer. The world-class tertiary hospital, developed by African Export-Import Bank (Afriximbank) in partnership with King's College Hospital, London, said the open-heart procedure involved a complex Triple Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG). It also disclosed that over the past six months, it has carried out more than 10 cardiac interventions, including coronary angiographies, permanent pacemaker insertions, and percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI).

The President of the Association of Urological Surgeons of Nigeria, Prof. Nuhu Dakum, has raised concerns over a growing rise in bladder and testicular cancers, warning that conditions once considered uncommon are now appearing more frequently in clinics across the country. While prostate cancer remains the most pravalent cancer among Nigerian men, and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men, experts say late presentation to hospitals continues to drive the high burden of the disease.

The House of Representatives on Thursday scaled a second reading bill seeking to establish a specialized medical college solely for the Nigerian Armed Forces. The bill, which is sponsored by Hon. Babajimi Benson (APC, Lagos), the Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, calls for the establishment of a military-run tertiary medical facility that will train physicians, specialists, and allied health professionals specifically for the Armed Forces and other uniformed services.

Nigeria's healthcare system is under tremendous strain due to the country's ongoing severe doctor shortage, with some states reporting that a single physician treats over 43,000 patients. However, things are about to get worse, as Canada will launch a new Express Entry category in early 2026 to help foreign physicians working in Nigeria become permanent residents.