For the Nigerian populace, social and health inequities continue to be disproportionately heightened due to the triad of Lassa virus epidemic, COVID-19 pandemic, and worsening food environment. This review uses secondary data sources to examine the interface of the Lassa virus (LASV) epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria and its impact on the food environment. This paper adopts One Health as a conceptual framework and takes an integrative lens to understand the interconnections and parallels between the scourges of LASV and COVID-19 on the food environment. Significant challenges relating to hunger, poverty, food insecurity, food loss and malnutrition regarding both Lassa virus and COVID-19 were uncovered. The spread of zoonotic diseases transmitted from animals to humans are worsened by unplanned urbanization, urbanization of poverty, insufficient management information systems, population increase, and climate change. The paper discusses practical measures to preparedness and response and suggests that priority should be placed on the strengthening local food environment to encourage better food diversity, access, and affordable options. A One Health approach is holistic and contingent on an informed, inclusive, community-driven, and sustainable infrastructure as well as on healthy biodiversity and functioning ecosystems, which are necessary for human and environmental health.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.