Bushmeat consumption in Guinea: implications for public health and one health perspective

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Introduction: bushmeat is an important source of protein and income for many communities in developing countries, although bushmeat-related activities have been associated with many outbreaks of infectious diseases. In Guinea, its consumption attracted increasing attention since the Ebola epidemic from 2013 to 2016. However, estimates of its national scale consumption are lacking. This study explored the bushmeat consumption in urban areas of Guinea to guide public policies and interventions from a One Health perspective. Methods: the survey was conducted among 901 individuals aged 18 years and over from 458 households across the country's eight administrative regions. A two-stage random sampling method was used to select households. Data were collected through a questionnaire on socioeconomic status, sociodemographic characteristics, bushmeat consumption habits, consumed species, motivations, and sources of supply. A multilayer perceptron neural network analysis was used to identify the factors influencing bushmeat consumption. Results: the overall prevalence of bushmeat consumption was 24%, ranging from 15.9% in Conakry to 50% in N'zérékoré. Bushmeat consumption was 22.8% in poor households, 20.9% in middle-income households and 27.4% in rich households. Bushmeat consumption was mostly occasional (79.4%). The species of bushmeat consumed were mainly aulacodes (42.1%), antelopes (42.1%), primates (21.0%) and hare/rabbit (21.0%). Taste was the main reason for consumption (86.9%) and the main sources of supply were sellers (55.1%) and hunters (41.6%). The multilayer perceptron neural network analysis revealed that males, Christians, and individuals from the Forest ethnic group were the main factors influencing bushmeat consumption. Conclusion: the consumption of bushmeat remains a common practice in Guinea. Therefore, the implementation of effective policies and strategies for reducing the hunting of and dependence on bushmeat, which are based on the One Health approach, could make a major contribution to the conservation of the biodiversity of several species and improve health safety at both the local and global levels.

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