Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
Ecohealth. 2012 Dec;9(4):471-82. doi: 10.1007/s10393-012-0807-1. Epub 2013 Feb 14.
The bushmeat industry has been a topic of increasing importance among both conservationists and public health officials for its influence on zoonotic disease transmission and animal conservation. While the association between infectious diseases and the bushmeat trade is well established in the research community, risk perception among bushmeat hunters and traders has not been well characterized. I conducted surveys of 123 bushmeat hunters and traders in rural Sierra Leone to investigate hunting practices and awareness of zoonotic disease risk associated with the bushmeat trade. Twenty-four percent of bushmeat hunters and traders reported knowledge of disease transmission from animals to humans. Formal education did not significantly affect awareness of zoonotic disease transmission. Individuals who engaged exclusively in preparation and trading of bushmeat were more likely to accidentally cut themselves compared to those who primarily engaged in bushmeat hunting (P < 0.001). In addition, women involved in the bushmeat trade were at greater risk of exposing themselves to potential zoonotic pathogens through accidental self-cutting compared to men (P < 0.01). This study collected preliminary information on risk perception among bushmeat hunters that could guide the creation of a future public health-based education program to minimize zoonotic disease transmission risk among vulnerable communities.
丛林肉行业因其对人畜共患疾病传播和动物保护的影响，在环保主义者和公共卫生官员中引起了越来越多的关注。虽然传染病与丛林肉贸易之间的关联在研究界已经得到充分证实，但丛林肉猎人与交易商的风险认知尚未得到充分描述。我对塞拉利昂农村地区的 123 名丛林肉猎人与交易商进行了调查，以调查与丛林肉贸易相关的狩猎实践与对人畜共患疾病风险的认知。24%的丛林肉猎人与交易商报告称了解疾病从动物传播到人类的情况。正规教育并未显著影响对人畜共患疾病传播的认知。与主要从事丛林肉狩猎的人相比，专门从事丛林肉准备与交易的人更有可能意外割伤自己（P<0.001）。此外，与男性相比，参与丛林肉贸易的女性更有可能因意外割伤而暴露于潜在的人畜共患病原体（P<0.01）。本研究收集了丛林肉猎人风险认知的初步信息，可用于指导未来基于公共卫生的教育计划的制定，以最大限度地降低弱势社区的人畜共患疾病传播风险。
