Conference Schedule

Time	Session Type	Title/Description
8:30 – 10:00	Organised Sessions	Session 1: Strengthening Vaccine Acceptance and Delivery in West Africa: From Science to Public Trust. Led by WAHO (MCH) Hall – Salle Ballroom Session 2: Operationalizing of Multisector Coordination Mechanisms (MCM) for greater coordination of IHR implementation in West Africa Led by WHO/WAHO Hall – Salon Goh-Djiboua Session 3: Innovations in Lassa Fever Preparedness and Response: After-Action Reviews and Predictive Modelling. Led by JHPIEGO Hall – Salon Denguele Session 4: Strengthening Regional Collaboration for Mpox Preparedness and Response in West Africa. Led by AfricaCDC Hall 4
10:00 – 10:30	Break	Transition/tea break
10:30 – 12:00	Organised Sessions	Session 5: Strengthening Disease Surveillance in West Africa: Lessons from the Regional Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancement Projects (REDISSE) and Future Opportunities with the Health Security Program in West and Central Africa (HeSP). Led by WAHO and the World BankHall – Salle Ballroom Session 6: Traditional medecine and community-based strategies for epidemic controle. Led by WAHO Hall – Salon Goh-Djiboua Session 7: Decades of Progress and Prospects in Lassa Fever Case Management. Led by IVEPCR Irrua Hall – Salon Denguele Session 8: Multi-System Approach to Strengthening Lassa Fever Outbreak Control: Nigeria’s Preparedness and Response Efforts. Led by USCDC Nigeria Hall 4
12:00 – 13:30	Organised Session	Session 9: The Dakar Emergency Hub, A newly decentralised WHO tool for responding and controlling Lassa fever and other infectious outbreaks in West and Central Africa: An Insight into Outbreak Medical Countermeasures, One Health and Operational Support and Logistics. Led by WHO Hall – Salle Ballroom Session 10: Enhancing Health Security in the ECOWAS Region: The Role of ECOWAS RCSDC– Achievements and Future Directions. Led by ECOWAS RCSDC Hall – Salon Goh-Djiboua Session 11: Strengthen Regional Syndromic Surveillance Sentinel Strategy (4S). Led by IPD Dakar Hall – Salon Denguele Session 12: Collaborative Clinical Research for Epidemic Preparedness and Response: Experience of the WAC-CREP Led by WAHO and WAC-CREP Hall 4
12:00 – 13:30	Special Ministerial Roundtable	Special Ministerial Roundtable – closed door, invites only. Hall - Business Class Lounge
13:30 – 15:00	Networking	Networking lunch/Poster presentations
15:00 – 17:00	Opening Ceremony / High-level Ministerial session	Opening Ceremony Welcome addresses and official opening of the 2nd ELFIC Dr. Melchior Athanase Joël Codjovi AÏSSI (DG WAHO) Dr. Pierre N'Gou, Dimba (MOH Cote d'Ivoire) Dr. Louise Kpoto (MOH Liberia) Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate (MOH Nigeria) Prof. Mohamed Yakub Janabi (WHO AFRO RD) Dr. Richard Hatchett (CEO CEPI) Dr. Ntuli Angyelile Kapologwe - DG ECSA Health community Keynote: Professor Oyewale Tomori - Linking the first Lassa conference to the second High-level Ministerial session Dr. Melchior Athanase Joël Codjovi AÏSSI (DG WAHO) Dr. Pierre N'Gou, Dimba (MOH Cote d'Ivoire) Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate (MOH Nigeria) Dr. Austin Demby (MOH Sierra Leone) Dr. Oumar Diouhé Bah (MOH Guinea) Dr. Benjamin Hounkpatin (MOH Benin) Dr. Louise Kpoto (MOH Liberia) Professor Mohamed Yakub Janabi (WHO) Dr. Ntuli Angyelile Kapologwe - DG ECSA Health community Moderator: Ms Vivianne Ihekweazu Hall – Salle Ballroom
17:00 – 17:30	Break	Entertainment/Transition/break
17:30 – 18:30	Opening Panel	Opening panel session - “Beyond Borders: Advancing a Unified West African Framework for Outbreak Preparedness and Response.” Focus - Explore practical pathways to operationalise regional cooperation mechanisms across ECOWAS Member States. Also, reflecting on lessons from cross-border collaboration during COVID-19, Ebola, Mpox, etc. Format - High-level panel discussion with interactive Q&A Speakers Prof. Nicholas Meda (senior research scientist and former member of UNAIDS/WHO Monitoring & Evaluation Reference Group) Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove (Director ai, Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Threat Management, Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Programme, WHO) Prof. Issiaka Sombie (Director of Public Health and Research, WAHO) Dr. Amadou Sall (Executive Director, Manufacturing and Supply Chain Division at CEPI) Moderator: Mrs Elsie Ilori Hall – Salle Ballroom
18:30 – 21:00	Social Event	Cocktail

Time	Session Type	Title/Description
8:30 – 10:00	Organised Sessions	Session 13: Leveraging Lessons from the AfDB COVID-19 Response Project for Strengthening Disease Surveillance and Pandemic Preparedness in the ECOWAS Region. Led by AfDB Hall – Salle Ballroom Session 14: Regional Readiness for Lassa Vaccines: Development to Delivery. Led by CEPIHall – Salon Denguele Session 15: From Outbreak to Opportunity: Lessons from Nigeria’s National IPC and Biosafety Strategy for Lassa Fever Preparedness and Response. Led by NCDCHall – Salon Goh-Djiboua Session 16: Anthropologie des épidémies émergentes. Led by IRDHall – Business Lounge
10:00 – 10:30	Break	Tea/Coffee sessions / Poster sessions
10:30 – 12:00	Plenary I	Plenary I - Closing the Gap: Accelerating VHFs' medical countermeasure R&D in West Africa Focus - Focusing on challenges specific to VHF medical countermeasure challenges. Also highlight recent advancements in vaccine development, therapeutics and diagnostics R&D, and the importance of locally-led clinical trial platforms. Format - High-level panel discussion, followed by interactive Q&A Opening Presentation - Understanding, responding and controlling Lassa Fever outbreaks in West Africa during the past 5 years: dynamics, challenges, lessons learnt from WHO. Speakers Prof. Thierno Balde (EPR Hub Coordinator/Dakar, WHO) Dr. Marie Jaspard (Associate Professor, Infectious and Tropical Diseases Department, Saint-Antoine Hospital, Paris) Dr. Katrin Ramsauer (Lead, Lassa Fever Disease Programme at CEPI) Dr. Dayo Adetifa (Chief Transformation Officer/ CEO FIND) Dr. Mark Feinberg (President and CEO of IAVI) Dr. Janet Diaz (Lead for Clinical Management and Operations team in the Health Emergencies Programme, and unit head for Safe and Scalable Care, WHO) Moderator: Prof Sylvanus Okogbenin Hall – Salle Ballroom
12:00 – 13:30	Parallel Sessions	Cross Border Oral 004 - Enhancing Cross-Border Mpox Surveillance: Lessons from Cote Ivoire and Ghana’s Bilateral Collaboration Oral 019 - Renforcement de la surveillance transfrontalie¨re du Mpox : Cooperation entre la Cote Ivoire et le Liberia Oral 020 - Cross-Border Collaboration in Action: A Laboratory-Confirmed Case Report of Lassa Fever in Kwara State, Nigeria Oral 017 - Assessing Lassa Virus Genomic Surveillance Disparities in West Africa Using Climatic Zone and Geographic Proximity Indicators Oral 018 - Operational insights and lessons learned from coordinating the Nigeria Lassa Epidemiology (NiLE) study in Nigeria. Oral 021 - Enhancing Regional Collaboration for Disease Control. Chair: Prof. Chimezie Anyakora Hall – Business Lounge Advancements in Therapeutics Oral 022 - Safety and tolerability of dexamethasone combined with standard-of-care ribavirin for the treatment of Lassa Fever: open label randomized controlled phase II clinical trial Oral 023 - The INTEGRATE study: an adaptive platform trial for the development of new interventions to combat Lassa Fever in West Africa. Oral 024 - Divergent Pathways of Severe Lassa Fever: Vascular Leak and Hyperinflammation versus Neurological Disease - Recommendation for Therapeutic Countermeasure from the PATHOGENESIS study Oral 025 - Predictive value of the Modified Early Warning Score for mortality and Intensive Care Unit admission in Lassa fever patients: a retrospective analysis Oral 026 - Safety and tolerability of favipiravir compared to ribavirin for the treatment of Lassa fever: A randomized controlled open-label phase II clinical trial Oral 027 - A promising therapeutic approach for post-Lassa fever sensorineural hearing loss Oral 028 - Early Dialysis And Innovations for a Better Clinical Outcome In Lassa Fever Patients with Acute Kidney Injury Oral 002 - Strengthening Regional Clinical Trial Capacity for Lassa Fever: Lessons from a Multi-Country Site Assessment in West Africa Chair: Dr. Janet Diaz Hall – Salle Ballroom Clinical and Epidemiological Perspectives on Lassa Fever in Nigeria Oral 043 - Epidemiological insight into the pattern of Lassa fever in Ondo State from January 2022 to February 2025 Oral 044 - From Lessons to Action: Stakeholders Insights from Past Interventions in Lassa Fever outbreak in Ebonyi State Nigeria for Improved Public Health Outcomes. Oral 045 - Lessons learnt from the 2023 Lassa Fever Outbreak in an Endemic Nigerian State: A World Health Organisation-Guided After-Action Review Process Oral 046 - Presentation and Outcome of Neonatal Lassa Virus Disease in endemic areas of Nigeria: A report from Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital Oral 047 - Case Report: Prolonged Proteinuria in a Young Healthy Male Treated for Lassa Fever Complicated By Acute Kidney Injury Oral 048 - Clinical and paraclinical correlates of severe Lassa fever: First Results of the Irrua Lassa Fever SEPSIS Study Oral 049 - Lassa Fever in Pregnancy: Outcomes and Management Approaches at ISTH Chair: Dr. Laurent Assogba Hall – Salon Goh-Djiboua Leveraging Digital Innovation for Lassa Fever Preparedness and Research Oral 106 - The Digital Epidemic Shield: Revolutionizing Lassa fever Preparedness with Predictive Analytics Oral 107 - Forecasting Lassa Fever Risk to Enable Smarter, Targeted Interventions Oral 108 - Equipping Healthcare Providers with Accurate Lassa Fever Information Through a Digital SBC Campaign Oral 109 - AI-Driven Early Diagnosis of Lassa Fever: Development of an XGBoost-Based Predictive Web Application Oral 110 - Hotspot Mapping and Vulnerability Assessment to Support Participant Recruitment for the CEPI ENABLE 1.5 Lassa Fever Prospective Cohort Study in Edo State, Nigeria Oral 111 - Vaccines Against Lassa fever virus (VITAL): Phase 1 safety and immunogeniety studies of a Lassa fever vaccine, ChAdOx1 LassaJ, in health volunteers Chair: Dr. Sola Aruna Hall – Salon Denguele
13:30 – 14:30	Break	Networking Lunch
14:30 – 16:00	Parallel Sessions	Co-Infections, Complications, and Clinical Innovations in Lassa Fever Management Oral 050 - Malaria and Lassa Fever Co-Endemicity in Northeastern Nigeria: Insights from a Retrospective Study of Febrile Illnesses Oral 051 - Improving Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) during Lassa Fever Outbreaks Through Behavior Change: An Analysis of Healthcare Worker Infections in Nigeria Using NCDC Situation Reports Oral 052 - Impact of Optimized Haemodialysis on the Outcome of Acute Kidney Injury in Lassa Fever: A study at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Nigeria Oral 053 - Impact of Optimized Haemodialysis on the Outcome of Acute Kidney Injury in Lassa Fever: A study at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Nigeria Oral 054 - A Place for Lumbar Punctures in the Standard of Care of Neonates with Suspected Sepsis in Lassa Virus Disease Endemic Areas: The ISTH experience Oral 055 - Lassa Fever - Yellow Fever Coinfection in Southeastern Nigeria: A Dual Epidemic Challenge Oral 056 - Lassa fever in multiple gestation: A report of two cases with positive umbilical cord blood Lassa PCR in the absence of maternal viremia Chair: Prof Seydou Doumbia Hall – Salle Ballroom Vaccine acceptability Oral 114 - Vaccination Intentions and Preferred Attributes for a Future Lassa Fever Vaccine Among Healthcare Workers in a Tertiary Hospital in Edo State, Nigeria Oral 115 - Tackling Lassa Fever Misinformation and Vaccine Hesitancy through Culturally-Tailored Health Dialogues in Northern Nigeria Oral 119 - Perceptions and Determinants of Acceptance of a Future Lassa Fever Vaccine in Endemic Communities of Edo State, Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Study. Oral 123 - Strengthening Community Engagement Capacity for Vaccine Trial Readiness in West Africa: A Platform Approach Anchored in Lassa Fever Preparedness Oral 129 - Assessment of vaccine acceptance and perceptions of Lassa fever among acutely ill patients in Edo State, Nigeria: Findings from a cross-sectional study Oral 132 - A forecasting approach to navigate uncertainty in Lassa Fever Vaccine demand and guide supply planning Oral 136 - Addressing Misinformation, Lassa Fever Vaccine Hesitancy, and Cultural Barriers: A Case Study of the IZZA Community in Ebonyi State, Nigeria Chair: Dr Callistus Akinyele Hall – Salon Denguele Financing, Policy, and System Readiness for Lassa Fever Control Oral 139 - Scaling Political Commitment and Sustainable Financing for Lassa Fever in West Africa: Lessons from the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Oral 140 - Translating National Lessons into Regional Strategies for Lassa Fever Vaccine Coordination Oral 141 - Self-Assessment of system readiness and capabilities response to respond to arbovirus threats in Cameroon: stakeholders Interview Oral 142 - De-risking Zoonotic Spillover: A Sustainable Finance Model to Address Lassa Fever Through Land-Use Innovation in Nigeria Oral 143 - Enable 1.5: Implementing lessons learned from the Enable 1.0 study Oral 144 - Catastrophic Health Expenditure and Coping Mechanisms among Households Affected by Lassa Fever in Edo State, Nigeria Chair: Dr Titilope Olugabde Hall – Salon Goh-Djiboua Innovations in Vaccine Development and Access Oral 029 - Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Mpox Virus in Africa: Identifying Key Targets for Vaccine Development Oral 030 - Bridging the Gaps: A Scoping Review of Lassa Fever Vaccine Research in Sub-Saharan Africa Oral 031 - Charting a Course for Lassa Fever Vaccine Development: Early Lessons from Nigeria Oral 032 - Bioinformatics Designing of an mRNA Vaccine for Mokola Virus (MOKV) Using Immunoinformatics as a Secure Strategy for Successful Vaccine Development Oral 033 - Expanding clinical trial access through a mobile clinical trials unit to strengthen epidemic preparedness in rural and underserved communities in Nigeria Oral 039 - Strengthening Clinical Trial Capacity for Epidemic Preparedness in West Africa: The ARC-WA Project Oral 041 - Is Lassa Fever Research and Development (R&D) at Risk? A Global Funding Analysis from the G-FINDER project Chair: Ms Oyeronke Oyebanji Hall – Business Lounge
16:00 – 16:30	Break	Tea/Coffee sessions / Poster sessions
16:30 – 18:00	Parallel Sessions	Behavioural and Social Science Oral 116 - Une Ã©pidÃ©mie peut en cacher une autre : fiÃ¨vre de Lassa au Nord BÃ©nin en contexte dâ€™Ã©pidÃ©mie de MVE en Afrique de lâ€™Ouest Oral 112 - Sociocultural and Environmental Risk Factors Sustaining Lassa Fever Transmission in Endemic Communities of Edo State, Nigeria: Implications for Targeted Prevention Strategies Oral 128 - Engaging research naive communities for participation in Lassa fever studies within catchment areas of a tertiary hospital in Nigeria: the discourses and dilemmas Oral 127 - Assessing the Impact of Human Behavior on Transmission Dynamics of Lassa Fever in Grand Bassa County, Liberia, from 2017 - 2028 Oral 124 - Using Human-Centered Design to Identify Behavioral Barriers and Enablers in Lassa Fever Prevention in Nigeria Oral 131 - Quantitative Assessment of Socio-Cultural Determinants of Lassa Fever Transmission in Kailahun and Kenema Districts, Sierra Leone Oral 122 - Sociodemographic and Prevalence of Psychological Distress among Caregivers of Lassa Fever Patients at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo State, Nigeria Chair: Dr. Abiola Temitayo-Oboh Hall – Salle Ballroom Building Resilient Health Systems for VHF Preparedness and Response Oral 057 - Piloting Of A Lassa Fever Clinical Training Package to Strengthen Lassa Fever Response Capacity in West Africa Oral 058 - Assessment Of Lassa Fever Epidemic Outbreak Preparedness of Health Institutions in Oyo State Oral 059 - Strengthening Health Emergency Resilience in Togo: Integration of rapid response mechanisms Oral 060 - From Outbreak to Opportunity: Leveraging Lassa Fever Trends from 2018 to 2025 to Strengthen Trial Site Preparedness and Vaccine Acceptance in Ebonyi State, Nigeria Oral 061 - Identifying Bottlenecks and Enablers in Achieving 7-1-7 Targets During the 2025 Lassa Fever Outbreak: Lessons from Ondo State, Nigeria Oral 062 - Emergency Preparedness of Health Facilities and Health Workers for Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers in Ekiti State, Nigeria Oral 063 - Facteurs biologiques associÃ©s Ã la mortalitÃ© dans la maladie Ã Virus Ebola lors de la dixiÃ¨me Ã©pidÃ©mie dans la zone de santÃ© de Beni, RÃ©publique DÃ©mocratique du Congo Chair: Dr. Abdourahmane Sow Hall – Salon Denguele One Health Integration Oral 006 - Contact networks of small mammals highlight potential transmission foci of Lassa mammarenavirus Oral 008 - Abattoirs as Sentinel Sites for One Health Surveillance of Lassa Fever: A Literature Review from a West African Perspective Oral 009 - Sero-Molecular and Vector Surveillance of Lassa, Dengue, and Yellow Fever Viruses in Oyo State, Nigeria: A One Health Approach Oral 014 - Land cover change and transmission of Lassa, Ebola and other zoonotic pathogens in Macenta, Guinea: integrating spatial and serological data to detect spillover risks Oral 003 - Bridging the Gaps, Building the Future: Operationalizing One Health Surveillance and Information Sharing Operational Tool (SIS-OT) in Nigeria Oral 012 - Circulation of Lassa Virus in multimammate rats in northern CÃ´te dâ€™Ivoire Oral 005 - Apport de la Investigation Faunistique Chez le cas Index Probable d’une Flambee Nosocomiale de fièvre Lassa a Conakry Chair: Dr. Cardoso Placido Hall – Salon Goh-Djiboua Enhancing Clinical Management and Rapid Response for Lassa Fever Oral 064 - Genome Diversity of SARS-CoV-2 Lineages Associated with Vaccination Breakthrough Infections in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Oral 065 - Improving Rational Prescription in Lassa Fever Treatment centre by training Doctors Oral 066 - Strengthening Rapid Response Capacity for Lassa Fever Outbreaks in Nigeria: Lessons from Multi-Sectoral National RRT Deployments in 2025 Oral 067 - Impact of Haemodialysis on the Outcome of Severe Paediatric Lassa Virus Disease - Question of a Half Loaf? Oral 068 - Prevalence, Types And Determinants Of Organ Failure Among Hospitalized Adult Lassa Fever Patients in a Tertiary Hospital in South-East Nigeria Oral 069 - Early Action Review of Lassa Fever Outbreaks in Nigeria: Utilizing the 7-1-7 Framework as a Performance Improvement Metric Oral 070 - Clinical presentation and predictors of severity in Lassa fever patients at a tertiary hospital in Abakaliki, Nigeria, 2018-2024 Chair: Dr Chukwuma Umeokonkwo Hall – Business Lounge

Time	Session Type	Title/Description
8:30 – 10:00	Organised Sessions	Session 17: Strengthening Clinical Trial Capacity and Advancing Regional Epidemic Preparedness for Lassa Fever: Lessons Learned from the ARC-WA Project and Future Opportunities. Led by MRCGHall – Salon Denguele Session 18: Establishing a Research Governance Framework for Lassa Fever and EIDs in West Africa. Led by IVEPCR IrruaHall – Salon Goh-Djiboua Session 19: One health in Lassa fever prevention: a rat race. Led by WOAHHall – Salle Ballroom Session 20: Partnering with communities for ethical Lassa Fever research and response in West Africa. Led by WAHO (WANEC)Hall – Business Lounge
10:00 – 10:30	Break	Tea/Coffee sessions / Poster sessions
10:30 – 12:00	Plenary II	Plenary II - From Detection to Response: Rethinking Surveillance Architecture for VHFs Focus - Examine innovative ways to strengthen integrated disease surveillance and laboratory networks, including community-based early warning systems and genomic surveillance for Lassa and other VHFs Format - Presentations by experts, followed by moderated plenary dialogue on challenges and solutions Speakers Dr. Ibrahima Socé Fall (Chief Executive Officer, Institut Pasteur de Dakar ) Dr. Muntari Hassan (Deputy Director and Head of Surveillance Division, NCDC) Dr. Pierre Formenty (Former Viral Haemorrhagic Fever Team Lead, WHO Health Emergency Programme.) Dr. Donald Grant (District Medical Officer (DMO), Kenema, Ministry of Health, Sierra Leone) Dr. Minnie Ricks (Medical Director/CEO, Phebe Hospital & School of Nursing, Republic of Liberia) Prof. Alpha Kabinet Keita (Médecin microbiologiste et Recteur de l’Université Gamal Abdel Nasser de Conakry (UGANC)) Moderator: Prof. Mamadou Samba Hall – Salle Ballroom
12:00 – 13:30	Parallel Sessions	Epidemiology, Surveillance, and Response to EIDs in West Africa Oral 071 - Study of the factors associated with the acceptability of the coronavirus vaccine in adults in Kinshasa in the commune of Lemba in 2022. Oral 072 - Strengthening outbreak response in West Africa: Insights from a Nigerian simulation exercise Oral 073 - Indications and potential diagnostic utility of lumbar puncture in the management of non-neonatal pediatric Lassa virus Disease Oral 088 - Epidemiological Analysis of Lassa Fever in Ebonyi State, Nigeria (2020–2025): Trends, Demographics, Symptom Patterns and Outcomes Oral 103 - Age-Specific Seroprevalence Trend of Anti-Lassa Virus Antibodies: A Prospective Cohort Study in Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria Oral 104 - Evaluation of Lassa fever surveillance system in Kogi State, North-Central Nigeria Oral 105 - Outbreak of Dengue Fever in Ghana; the emergence of DENV-1 serotype Chair: Prof. Chimezie Anyakora Hall – Salle Ballroom Capacity building Oral 014 - Knowledge of Lassa fever and infection prevention and control practices among healthcare workers in a North central state, Nigeria Oral 001 - Building a Skilled Workforce for Lassa Fever Response: Regional Clinical Management Training Outcomes in the ECOWAS Region Oral 007 - Strengthening Regional Clinical Trial Capacity for Lassa Fever: Lessons from a Multi-Country Site Assessment in West Africa Oral 010 - From Strategy to Solidarity: How Nigeria's 2025-2029 Plan Advances Leadership and Regional Collaboration for Lassa Fever in West Africa Oral 011 - Improved Lassa Fever Control in a Tertiary Health Facility, Nigeria: The Role of Partnership Oral 015 - From Strategy to Impact: Insights from the ARC-WA Program on Advancing Regional Health Emergency Evidence Preparedness in Lassa-Endemic Settings Oral 016 - Advancing implementation of One Health Approach in the ECOWAS Region: West African Health Organization (WAHO) key achievements in the past three years Chair: Dr. Laurent Assogba Hall – Salon Denguele Community based surveillance and Community perception and mental health Oral 125 - Strengthening Community-Based Surveillance and Early Detection: Training Local Health Workers and Community Networks to Enhance Early Outbreak Warnings and Risk Communication Oral 126 - Knowledge, Perception and Preventive Practices of Lassa Fever Among Mothers of Under-Five Children in an Endemic Community in Edo State, Nigeria Oral 127 - Understanding gender dynamics, consent experiences, and community engagement in clinical trials in the context of a Lassa Fever Vaccine Trial in Ghana Oral 128 - Lessons Learnt from Community Engagement in a Prospective Cohort Study on Lassa Fever Incidence in Edo State, Nigeria Oral 130 - Promoting Acceptability and Participation in Lassa Fever Clinical Trials: Exploration of Community Perceptions Through Mixed Methods Research Oral 131 - A Qualitative Study of Frontline Perspectives And Experiences of Field Workers in The CEPI ENABLE 1.0 Lassa Fever Epidemiological Cohort Study in Edo State, Nigeria Oral 013 - Enhancing Preparedness, Readiness, and Response to Lassa Fever Outbreaks in Nigeria: Reflections from the 2023 Lassa Fever Outbreak After Action Review Chair: Dr. Yahya Disu Hall – Salon Goh-Djiboua Predictive, Clinical, and Genomic Insights into Lassa Fever in Endemic Settings Oral 074 - Contribution of Lassa Fever to Severe Acute Kidney Injury in An Endemic Area: A Retrospective Observational Study in Southern Nigeria. Oral 075 - Clinical Outcomes of Severe Lassa Fever in West Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Oral 076 - Predictors of Acute Kidney Injury and In-hospital Mortality in Adult Patients with RT-PCR Confirmed Lassa Fever Infection in Southwest, Nigeria Oral 077 - Predictive Parameters for Lassa Fever Diagnosis in Nigeria: An Empirical Model Oral 078 - Geospatial Mapping and Susceptibility Modelling of Lassa fever Outbreaks in Resource-limited Settings: A case Study of Benue State, Nigeria Oral 079 - Insights into Long-term antibody response in Lassa fever: A five-year follow-up study of Lassa fever survivors in Nigeria Oral 080 - Comparative Genomics of Lassa Virus Strains: Insights into Viral Evolution Chair: Dr. Simon Antara Hall – Business Lounge
13:30 – 14:30	Break	Tea/Coffee sessins / Poster sessions
14:30 – 16:00	Parallel Sessions	Strengthening Laboratory Networks for Timely Diagnostics Oral 034 - Establishing an External Quality Assurance (EQA) System for Lassa Fever Testing in Nigeria Oral 035 - Establishing Target Product Profiles for Lassa Fever Diagnostics: A Collaborative Approach to Guide Innovation and Public Health Investment Oral 036 - Assessment of Challenges Healthcare Providers Face When Communicating Delayed Laboratory Results to Patients Managed for Lassa Fever in Benue State, Nigeria Oral 037 - Guinea's five-year progress in Lassa fever surveillance: strengthening diagnostic and genomic surveillance capabilities. Oral 038 - Le virus Lassa au Bénin : caractérisation génomique des isolats des cas positifs responsables de l’épidémie de 2023 Oral 040 - Challenges of Conducting Longitudinal Studies with Blood Draws in Low-Resource Settings: Lessons from the ENABLE 1.0 Lassa Fever Epidemiological Study in Edo State, Nigeria. Oral 042 - Post-Mortem Pathological Insights into Lassa Fever via Minimally Invasive Tissue Sampling: A Comparative Study in a West African Endemic Region. Chair: Dr. Chukwuma Umeokonkwo Hall – Salle Ballroom Mapping, Modelling, and Surveillance of Lassa and Yellow Fever Oral 081 - Evolving Epidemiology of Lassa Fever in Edo State, Nigeria (2011 - 2024): A Retrospective Analysis of Demographic, Geographic, and Health System Trends. Oral 082 - Pattern and Determinants of Yellow Fever Transmission in Imo State, Nigeria (2019 - 2023): A One Health Case Study on Outbreak Surveillance and Vector Control Oral 083 - Enhancing digital disease surveillance in the ECOWAS region: progress, challenges, and way forward Oral 084 - Epidemiology of Lassa fever in Bauchi state, Nigeria, 2021-2024: temporal trends and forecast Oral 085 - Spatiotemporal Mapping of Lassa Fever Cases in Bauchi State: Unveiling Hotspots and Trends (2023 – 2025 Experience) Oral 086 - Integrating Spatiotemporal and Compartmental Modelling to Understand Lassa Fever Transmission in Nigeria Oral 087 - Clinical and paraclinical Correlates of Severe Lassa Fever: First Results of the Irrua Lassa Fever SEPSIS Study Chair: Dr. Sola Aruna Hall – Salon Denguele Epidemiology, Burden, and Transmission Dynamics of Lassa Fever and Ebola Oral 096 - Investigation autour des cas probables et confirmés de la maladie à virus Ebola dans la préfecture de N’Zérékoré en Guinée Oral 097 - Incidence of symptomatic Lassa fever infection in endemic communities: results from the ENABLE 1.0 prospective cohort in Edo State, Nigeria. Oral 098 - Uncovering the hidden burden of Lassa fever through post-mortem mortality surveillance in Sokoto state, Nigeria, 2024-2025 Oral 099 - Epidemiological trend of Lassa Fever in Nigeria from 2015-2024 Oral 100 - Risk Factors Associated with Lassa Fever Infection During the 2025 Outbreak in Ondo State, Nigeria. Oral 101 - Incidence of disease and seroprevalence of infection due to Lassa Virus in Benin Oral 102 - Assessing the Effectiveness of Lassa Fever Contact Tracing in Nigeria: A Five-Year Trend Analysis (2020 -2024) Chair: Dr. Youssouf Traore Hall – Salon Goh-Djiboua Surveillance, Mortality, and Genomic Insights into Lassa Fever and Emerging Viruses Oral 089 - Persistence and Infectivity of Lassa Virus in Body Fluids: Implications for Survivor Follow-Up and Public Health Oral 090 - Uncovering the hidden burden of Lassa fever through post-mortem mortality surveillance in Sokoto state, Nigeria, 2024-2025 Oral 091 - Exploring the Use of Verbal Autopsy to Determine Causes of Death: Findings from the CEPI-Funded Nigeria Lassa Epidemiology (NiLE) Study Oral 092 - Strengthening Monkeypox Laboratory Surveillance and Response Mechanisms in Central and West Africa: A Comprehensive Scoping Review Oral 093 - Risk factors for mortality among confirmed Lassa fever cases during the 2022-2024 outbreak in Liberia: A Retrospective Cohort Study Oral 094 - Implementation of a nanopore genomic surveillance unit for emerging viral pathogens at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Nigeria: experience from a synergistic collaboration Oral 095 - Evaluation de la Performance de la Surveillance Epidemiologique de la Dengue dans le District Sanitaire de Golfe au Togo En 2024 Chair: Dr. Olubunmi Negedu Hall – Business Lounge
16:00 – 16:30	Break	Tea/Coffee sessions / Poster sessions
16:30 – 18:00	Plenary III	Plenary III - AI and Big Data in Outbreak Prediction – Transformative or Overhyped? Focus - Explore the potential and limits of AI-driven outbreak detection and response tools in fragile health systems. Format - Oxford-style debate. Pro-position (AI is transformative for Lassa and other VHFs), Con-position (AI is overhyped in resource-limited settings), and moderator encourages audience participation and real-time polling. Speakers Dr. Etien Koua (Health Emergency Information Management and Risk Assessment Programme Area Manager at WHO AFRO) Dr. Peter Adewuyi (Senior Field Epidemiologist, AFENET Liberia) Mr. Ousmane Nikiema (ICT and Digital Services Specialist, WAHO) Dr. Uzma Alam (Policy and Data Lead at the Science for Africa Foundation) Moderator: Dr. Adama Ndir Hall – Salle Ballroom

Time	Session Type	Title/Description
8:30 – 10:00	Organised Sessions	Session 21: Counting the Lassa Fever Costs: Can Economic Burden Analysis of Lassa Fever Help to Shape Sustainable Investment in West Africa to Combat the Disease Led by AFHEAHall – Business Lounge Session 22: Lassa fever management: A critical appraisal of ribavirin use. Led by IVEPCR IrruaHall – Salon Goh-Djiboua Session 23: Strengthening Epidemiological Surveillance Through Laboratory Systems: A Holistic Experience Reinforcing the Regional West African Network of Reference Laboratories. Led by KFW/PROALABHall – Salle Ballroom Session 24: Strengthening regulatory frameworks and vaccine production capacity/Strengthening regulatory frameworks, building production capacity, and partnerships for vaccine R&D. Led by IVIHall – Salon Denguele
10:00 – 10:30	Break	Tea/Coffee sessions / Poster sessions
10:30 – 12:00	Plenary IV	Plenary IV - Putting Communities First: Redefining Engagement in Epidemic Preparedness. Focus - Spotlight how trust, culture, and behaviour shape epidemic outcomes. How social science evidence and participatory approaches can improve vaccine uptake, reduce stigma, and build local resilience against Lassa and similar diseases Format - Opening survivor live testimony by a Lassa, Ebola, or Mpox survivor. Closely followed by an engaging discussion where a frontline healthcare worker, a researcher, and a CSO representative will be panellists. A skilled moderator will guide the discussion with specific prompts. This will also allow audience interaction with tools like Mentimeter for live polling. This will be closed by high-level reflections from a high-level panellist (MOH, DG NPHI) Speakers Dr. Jide Idris (Director General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC)) Prof. Alhaji N’Jai (Associate Professor and Director, One Health Center West Africa) Mrs. Sanogo Kone (Director of the Department of Partnerships, Policies and Strategies (ASAPSU)) Ms. Boury Dia (Expert in One Health and Gender, Coordination of the Multisectoral Health Security Programme (PNMSS-OH), Office of the Prime Minister of Senegal) Dr. Oluwafemi Ayodeji (Head, Infection Control and Research Unit, Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria) Ms. Adejoke Ige (Public Health Practitioner, Federal Medical Center Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria) Moderator: Dr. Kemisola Agbaoye Hall – Salle Ballroom
12:00 – 13:30	Organised Sessions	Session 25: Integrated Workforce Development for Surveillance, Clinical Management, Research, and Clinical Trials in the Fight Against Lassa Fever and Other Emerging Infectious Diseases.Led by WAHO and AFENETHall – Salle Ballroom Session 26: Harnessing AI for Disease Surveillance, Response, and Cross-Border Coordination Optimisation: The Transformational Capabilities of Vantage AI OS. Led by IntuidyaHall – Business Lounge Session 27: Advancing Curriculum Harmonisation in Field Epidemiology Training Programs (FETPs) to Strengthen Regional Workforce for Epidemic Preparedness. Led by WAHO (workforce)Hall – Salon Goh-Djiboua Session 28: Critical partnerships to facilitate an end-to-end Lassa Fever vaccine development program. Led by IAVIHall – Salon Denguele
13:30 – 14:30	Break	Tea/Coffee sessions / Poster sessions
14:30 – 16:00	Final Panel	Final Panel Final Panel - No Health Security Without Sustainable Financing: Turning Strategies into Investments Focus - Examine how to sustainably finance Lassa preparedness through domestic resource mobilisation, integration into national budgets, and innovative regional funding mechanisms. It will highlight successful models from the region and the potential for pooled financing. Format - Panel discussion with development partners and ministers of health/finance Speakers Dr. Charles Patrick Makoutode (Head, Department of Health Policy and Systems, Regional Institute of Public Health (IRSP-CAQ), Benin) Prof. Bonfoh Bassirou (Director Afrique One at Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire (CSRS)) Dr. Koffi Houngbedgi (Principal Health Infrastructure Officer · African Development Bank Group) Dr. Robert Agyarko (Lead Advisor, Outbreaks and Epidemics – African Risk Capacity (ARC)) Prof. Nazifi Abdullahi Darma (Commissioner for Internal Services, ECOWAS Commission) Moderator: Dr. Winifred Ukponu Hall – Salle Ballroom
16:00 – 18:00	Closing Ceremony	Entertainment Addresses/remarks and official closing of the 2nd LIC Speakers Dr. Melchior Athanase Joël Codjovi AÏSSI Dr. Katrin Ramsauer Dr. Pierre N'Gou, Dimba Dr. Abdou Salam Gueye Hall – Salle Ballroom
18:00 – 21:00	Social Event	Closing dinner