{
  "abstract": "Introduction Lassa fever (LF), a viral haemorrhagic disease, poses a significant public health challenge in West Africa. Lassa virus infection frequently causes mild malaria-like symptoms, potentially leading to misdiagnosis and an underestimated burden. Severe LF can lead to multi-organ failure, and survivors may experience sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Building on the contributions of the Enable Lassa Research Programme (ENABLE 1.0), which ran in West Africa from 2020 to 2024, ENABLE 1.5 aims to further address gaps in understanding LF disease burden to inform future late-stage vaccine trials. The study will assess the incidence of symptomatic reverse transcription (RT)-PCR-confirmed LF disease, including malaria coinfection.Methods and analysis The ENABLE 1.5 prospective cohort study will be conducted across five study sites: one in Liberia, three in Nigeria and one in Sierra Leone. Stratified cluster sampling will identify eligible individuals at the household level from communities either involved in ENABLE 1.0 or identified through recent LF surveillance as hotspots. A total of 5000 participants will be recruited, 1000 per study site (minimum) and equally stratified in the following ages: 0–5, 6–10, 11–17, 18–50 and >50 years. All participants will be followed up for 12 months. Baseline data collection will gather key variables and blood specimens from all participants, with baseline SNHL prevalence assessed at three study sites. Active follow-up of all participants will involve symptom assessments every 2 weeks and blood draws every 3 months for serological testing (IgG). Suspected LF cases will undergo thorough evaluations, including malaria rapid diagnostic testing, clinical assessments and laboratory testing, including RT-PCR and malaria blood smear microscopy.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Oslo, Norway"
      ],
      "name": "Henshaw Mandi"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Institute of Lassa Fever Research and Control, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Nigeria"
      ],
      "name": "Danny Asogun"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Federal Medical Centre Owo, Owo, Nigeria"
      ],
      "name": "Olufemi Ayodeji"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki, Abakaliki, Nigeria"
      ],
      "name": "Benedict N Azuogu"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Epicentre, Paris, France"
      ],
      "name": "Anton Camacho"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Phebe Hospital, Phebe, Liberia",
        "The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA"
      ],
      "name": "William Fischer"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Oslo, Norway"
      ],
      "name": "Roice Fulton"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Kenema Government Hospital, Kenema, Sierra Leone"
      ],
      "name": "Donald Samuel Grant"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Virology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany"
      ],
      "name": "Stephan Günther"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Virology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany"
      ],
      "name": "Ndapewa Ithete"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Abuja, Nigeria"
      ],
      "name": "Elsie Illori"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Abuja, Nigeria"
      ],
      "name": "Kamji Jan"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "P95 Clinical and Epidemiology Services, Leuven, Belgium"
      ],
      "name": "Carol Kagia"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "M-script Medical Writing Services Goudenregenstraat 17, Mechelen, Belgium"
      ],
      "name": "Nele Martens"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Oslo, Norway"
      ],
      "name": "Sonia Menon"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Epicentre, Paris, France"
      ],
      "name": "Aminata Ndiaye"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Epicentre, Paris, France"
      ],
      "name": "Mark Ndifon"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Epicentre, Paris, France"
      ],
      "name": "Robert Nsaibirni"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Margan Clinical Research Organization, Accra, Ghana"
      ],
      "name": "Michael Ntiri"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Paul Oloo"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Institute of Lassa Fever Research and Control, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Nigeria"
      ],
      "name": "Sylvanus Okogbenin"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "P95 Clinical and Epidemiology Services, Leuven, Belgium"
      ],
      "name": "Suzanne Penfold"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Phebe Hospital, Phebe, Liberia"
      ],
      "name": "Minnie Sankawulo-Ricks"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Kenema Government Hospital, Kenema, Sierra Leone"
      ],
      "name": "Marion Sillah"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "P95 Clinical and Epidemiology Services, Leuven, Belgium"
      ],
      "name": "Patrick Suykerbuyk"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Nadia Tornieporth"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Virology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany"
      ],
      "name": "Nathalie J Vielle"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Margan Clinical Research Organization, Accra, Ghana"
      ],
      "name": "Margaret Williams"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Phebe Hospital, Phebe, Liberia",
        "The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA"
      ],
      "name": "David Wohl"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Fang Xie"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Oslo, Norway"
      ],
      "name": "Solomon Yimer"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Oslo, Norway"
      ],
      "name": "J Gabrielle Breugelmans"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Prospective cohort study to evaluate Lassa fever incidence, symptoms and coinfection with malaria in West Africa: the Enable Lassa Research Programme (‘ENABLE 1.5’) – study protocol",
  "uid": "e58787a2-18b1-5889-bca1-5194f7ddeb8a"
}