Assessing Lassa virus surveillance disparities in West Africa using climatic zone and geographic proximity indicators

Introduction Lassa fever remains a persistent public health concern in West Africa, with Nigeria as its epicenter. While climatic and ecological conditions are known to influence rodent-borne transmission, neighboring countries with similar risk profiles often lack genomic surveillance data. This study presents a preliminary analysis of Lassa virus surveillance disparities across the region, exploring the role of climate zones, geographic proximity, and infrastructural gaps. Methods Metadata on Lassa virus genomic sequences were retrieved from the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Nucleotide database. Surveillance distribution across 16 West African countries was assessed against 2024 regional temperature variation data from Berkeley Earth. Countries were categorized based on shared climatic zones (Sahara, Sahel, Sudano-Sahelian, Guinea Coast) and proximity to known endemic areas.