Public health risks and control measures associated with live animal and animal product trade in traditional food markets in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review.

Introduction: Traditional food markets (TFMs) support food security and livelihoods in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), but the trade of live animals and products of animal origin may facilitate zoonotic and foodborne disease transmission. Evidence on associated risks and control measures remains fragmented across pathogens, market types and interventions. This scoping review maps the literature on zoonotic and foodborne public health risks, risk factors and control measures related to the trade of live animals and animal products in TFMs in LMICs. Methods: Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus were searched on 24 April 2026 for primary, English-language studies published from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2025. Eligible studies reported public health outcomes, risk factors or control measures associated with TFMs in LMICs. Reviewers screened titles/abstracts and full texts against predefined criteria, resolving disagreements by consensus. Data were charted and checked using a standardised pro forma; no methodological quality appraisal was conducted. Results: 87 studies were included; 61 (70.1%) reported public health risks and 35 (40.2%) examined control measures, with 9 (10.3%) addressing both domains. Most studies were observational and focused on poultry markets and avian influenza viruses (AIVs), particularly at the human-market interface. Reported risks included occupational exposure among market workers, exposure among community members and contamination of animal products and market environments. Common risk factors included poor hygiene, weak biosecurity, on-site slaughter, species mixing, inadequate waste management, prolonged animal holding and unsafe handling. Control measures included market closure, rest days, species separation, cleaning and disinfection, infrastructure improvements and policy-based interventions such as China's '1110' policy. Across distinct studies, several measures were associated with lower pathogen detection or modelled infection estimates, whereas other findings were non-significant or inconsistent. Implementation was constrained by economic losses, limited infrastructure, weak enforcement, low awareness and poor adherence to protective practices. Conclusions: TFMs are important human-animal-environment interfaces where zoonotic and foodborne risks arise from interacting biological, structural and behavioural factors. The findings from this scoping review provide a rationale for context-specific, multilevel One Health approaches combining infrastructure improvements, biosecurity, surveillance, regulation, compensation and vendor engagement. However, because most evidence was observational and concentrated on AIV-focused poultry markets, the effectiveness and generalisability of these approaches require further evaluation across diverse TFM settings.