Utilizing local solutions through active community engagement to strengthen Lassa fever prevention and control in Ondo state, Nigeria, July 2024

Introduction: Lassa fever (LF) is endemic in Ondo State, Nigeria, with yearly outbreaks reported. A novel approach called Local Innovations Scaled through Enterprise Networks (LISTEN) was piloted in 2 high-burden Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Ondo State to optimize control efforts. LISTEN is a co-creation iterative strategy utilizing a human-centered design to identify challenges and solutions that are data-driven through continuous data review and leveraging Communities of Practice (CoP) for implementation and sustainability. Methods: Data was collected through a semi-structured questionnaire for community needs assessment, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions with 71 respondents, including politicians, community leaders, and healthcare workers in Akure-South and Owo LGAs. Manual thematic analysis identified challenges in LF prevention, focusing on healthcare access, environmental conditions, and social behaviors. Data was securely archived on a shared drive, accessible only to the project team. Results: While challenges included poor healthcare access (long distances to testing centers, high costs), misconceptions delaying care, unhygienic food storage, and environmental risks (unkempt bushes, open dumps), local solutions emerged which includes community-based sample collection points, training traditional leaders as educators, monthly sanitation drives with youth groups, women’s cooperatives promoting rat-proof storage, and survivor-led advocacy to reduce stigma. These community-driven strategies showed high acceptance for sustainable LF control. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that community engagement and collaborative public health efforts are critical to controlling LF outbreaks. Immediate actions include improved waste management, raising awareness to reduce stigma, and promoting good food hygiene to prevent future outbreaks in Ondo State. These insights provide a roadmap for leveraging local LF control resources and expanding efforts to other endemic regions.