Organic waste mismanagement, free-roaming dog ecology, and rabies risk in endemic countries: a one health narrative review
Frontiers in Tropical Diseases·
- DOI
- 10.3389/fitd.2026.1859942
- PMID
- —
- PMCID
- —
- OpenAlex
- —
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
Incorporating standardized refuse collection protocols into broader canine rabies eradication plans addresses an often-overlooked ecological contributor to animal-human contact. Multi-agency cooperation that pairs environmental sanitation with veterinary care and public education may enhance progress toward global elimination targets.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
This review examines how inadequate disposal of household and municipal refuse sustains free-roaming canine groups in developing regions, and whether such ecological conditions elevate human exposure to rabies.
Study design
The publication functions as a peer-reviewed narrative synthesis that systematically evaluated English-language literature spanning two decades across major academic databases.
Population and setting
Analysis centers on canine populations and residential areas located in Asian and African territories where municipal solid waste infrastructure remains insufficient and rabies circulation persists.
Main findings
Accessible refuse streams encourage scavenging and concentrate stray animals in urban zones, creating logistical hurdles for immunization drives and demographic control initiatives. The authors emphasize that while waste availability correlates with elevated canine densities, rigorous proof that sanitation improvements directly decrease rabies transmission is currently lacking. Additional obstacles to disease mitigation involve fragmented monitoring networks and inconsistent distribution of preventive medical supplies.
Public-health relevance
Incorporating standardized refuse collection protocols into broader canine rabies eradication plans addresses an often-overlooked ecological contributor to animal-human contact. Multi-agency cooperation that pairs environmental sanitation with veterinary care and public education may enhance progress toward global elimination targets.
Important limitations
The manuscript explicitly notes an absence of direct causal documentation proving that decreased waste accessibility lowers canine abundance or infection rates. Structural constraints typical of narrative reviews and dependence on varied regional reports further restrict the ability to draw definitive operational conclusions.
GIDS interpretation
This document supplies thematic background regarding environmental drivers of canine rabies ecology without presenting real-time outbreak metrics or active monitoring outputs. Its organizational structure identifies existing research gaps and contextual factors relevant to disease planning, rather than producing novel epidemiological indicators.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 9 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.