Assessing Wild Meat Hygiene Knowledge and Practices in Lagos, Nigeria

Wild meat is a vital source of animal protein for many communities around the world. However, trade-in and consumptive use of wild animals pose several health risks to the human population, in addition to threatening global biodiversity. Since wild meat is mostly traded informally, and through complex food supply chains, understanding the potential impacts it may have on public health is notably difficult. This is so because the clandestinely practiced act has no clear food safety guidelines such as those governing foods from crops or farm animals. Several studies have documented the existence of pathogens in wild meat, as well as disease outbreaks associated with the handling and or consumption of wild animals or wild meat. However, little is known about the risk of exposure of humans to these pathogens along the wild meat value chains (VC). Few studies have conducted risk assessments regarding wild meat handling and consumption, but such studies did not use a VC approach for risk analysis. Regardless, data from mapping wild meat VC, even though limited, have been used to identify conservation entry points in West, Central, and East Africa. It is possible that risk analysis conducted through a VC approach can help identify critical control and entry points for diseases in the human population. Our project therefore intends to use a VC approach to estimate the risk of exposure to humans of both zoonotic and foodborne pathogens along the wild meat value chain in Lagos, Nigeria. Data on actors' hygiene perceptions, knowledge, and practices of the wild meat VC in these cities will continue to be vital in improving public health outcomes, especially in low-resource settings. Most importantly, the findings from this study will enhance global understanding of existing food hazards of wild meat in urban centers and the probability of exposure to such hazards at the VC nodes. Such information is vital in identifying critical disease control points thus enhancing local, national, and global capacity for disease outbreak prevention and control.

野味（wild meat）是全球众多社区至关重要的动物蛋白来源。然而，野生动物的交易与消费性利用不仅威胁全球生物多样性，还对人类群体构成多重健康风险。由于野味交易多以非正式方式开展，且依托复杂的食品供应链，厘清其对公共健康的潜在影响极具挑战——这类隐秘的交易活动缺乏针对农作物或畜禽类食品的明确食品安全规范。多项研究已证实野味中存在病原体，且记录了与野生动物或野味处理、食用相关的疾病暴发事件。但目前人们对野味价值链（value chain，VC）各环节中人类接触这些病原体的风险仍知之甚少。虽有少量研究针对野味处理与食用开展了风险评估，但此类研究未采用价值链分析方法开展风险研判。尽管相关数据有限，已有的野味价值链测绘数据已被用于识别西非、中非与东非的生物多样性保护切入点。采用价值链分析方法开展的风险研判，或可帮助识别人类疾病防控的关键节点与切入点。因此，本项目拟采用价值链分析方法，评估尼日利亚拉各斯地区野味价值链上人类接触人畜共患病原体与食源性病原体的风险。关于拉各斯这类城市中野味价值链各参与方的卫生认知、知识储备与行为习惯的数据，对于改善公共健康结局尤为关键，尤其是在资源匮乏的地区。尤为重要的是，本研究的成果将增进全球对城市中心地带野味相关食品安全隐患的认知，以及在价值链各节点接触此类隐患的可能性。此类信息对于识别关键疾病防控点至关重要，从而提升本地、国家乃至全球的疾病暴发防控能力。