Nigeria to host first Lassa fever treatment trials for 40 years

Clinical trials for the first new treatment for

in almost 40 years are planned to be held in Nigeria this year.

The neglected tropical disease kills about 5,000 people a year and is endemic in west Africa.

The trials will begin in September at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo (FMCO), in Ondo state, which has high rates of the rodent-carried virus. It is the first work on a new treatment since ribavirin was approved for use in 1986. The drug’s efficacy has recently been questioned.