Division of Animal and Fisheries Sciences, ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Umiam, India.
Division of Veterinary Public Health, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, India.
Epidemiol Health. 2023;45:e2023097. doi: 10.4178/epih.e2023097. Epub 2023 Oct 30.
Traditional food markets are age-old systems that primarily serve the food supply needs of society's less affluent sectors, often operating with minimal infrastructure. These markets are prevalent in low and middle-income countries. However, their hygienic conditions are frequently suboptimal, potentially fostering the emergence and spread of presumptive zoonotic diseases. The recent emergence of zoonotic or potentially zoonotic diseases and their possible links to traditional food markets underscore the need for focused attention on this overlooked issue. The socioeconomic characteristics of traditional food markets reveal that despite the risk of zoonotic pathogen spread, these markets play a crucial role for large segments of the population. These individuals rely on such markets for their livelihood, food, and nutrition. Therefore, a comprehensive set of measures addressing various aspects of traditional food markets is necessary to manage and mitigate the risks of potential zoonotic disease emergence. In this article, we explore various facets of traditional food markets, paying special attention to the risks of zoonotic diseases that urgently require stakeholder attention. We also propose a new market design to prevent the risk of zoonotic spillover and advocate for the development of a Market Hygiene Index for these markets.
传统食品市场是古老的系统，主要服务于社会较贫困阶层的食品供应需求，通常基础设施很少。这些市场在低收入和中等收入国家很普遍。然而，它们的卫生条件往往不理想，可能会助长推测的人畜共患病的出现和传播。最近出现的人畜共患病或潜在的人畜共患病及其与传统食品市场的可能联系，突显了需要关注这个被忽视的问题。传统食品市场的社会经济特征表明，尽管存在人畜共患病病原体传播的风险，但这些市场对很大一部分人口起着至关重要的作用。这些人依靠这些市场来维持生计、获取食物和营养。因此，需要采取一整套措施来管理和减轻潜在人畜共患病出现的风险，这些措施涉及传统食品市场的各个方面。在本文中，我们探讨了传统食品市场的各个方面，特别关注需要利益相关者关注的人畜共患病风险。我们还提出了一种新的市场设计，以防止人畜共患病溢出的风险，并倡导为这些市场开发市场卫生指数。
