Geographical Regularities in the Worldwide Diffusion of Natural- Endemic Diseases

At present, medical geography pays considerable attention to the study of regularities in the influence of natural and social conditions on the health of the population. It is possible to argue that even potentially effective prophylactic arrangements will not be successful if they do not take into account data on spatial differences in the spread of diseases. The aim of this investigation is to examine diversity in the geography of natural-endemic diseases across the world on the basis of a special database. The analysis focuses on the spread of 34 diseases, the parasitic systems of which are members of natural ecosystems. The paper proposes some approaches to the study of spatial differentiation which can be used for the analysis of contrasting health levels for different diseases and related environmental characteristics

MEDICAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC CONSEQUENCES OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE ASSESSMENT OF COMFORT LEVEL OF WEATHER-CLIMATIC CONDITIONS IN THE VOLGA FEDERAL DISTRICT

The paper provides a brief analysis of research on the impact of global climate change on human health. Using Tatarstan as an example, the paper discusses medical and demographic consequences of the extreme heat wave of the summer of 2010. Assessment of the Volga Federal District (VFD) bioclimate conducted with the help of certain biometeorological parameters allowed evaluating modern global and regional changes of weather-climatic conditions. The main emphasis was placed on spatial and temporal analysis of both the integral pathogenicity index (I) and its individual components for the district territory. In VFD, aggravating weather conditions increase from southwest to northeast. Summer months are associated with comfort weather conditions. In winter, the air temperature pathogenicity index and interdiurnal temperature fluctuations contribute the greatest to I; in summer, the role of cloudiness and humidity pathogenicity indices increases. The contribution of wind speed and interdiurnal pressure fluctuations to I is insignificant in all seasons. Analysis of the frequency distribution of I showed that comfort weather conditions (over 50 % of cases) occur in May–August, aggravating weather conditions occur in March-Appril, and harsh weather conditions in more than 50 % of cases occur in January–February and November–December. Calculation of biometeorological indices allows forecasting risk of thermal hazard under extreme meteorological conditions

Climatic Factors Influencing the Anthrax Outbreak of 2016 in Siberia, Russia

In 2016, an outbreak of anthrax killing thousands of reindeer and affecting dozens of humans occurred on the Yamal peninsula, Northwest Siberia, after 70 years of epidemiological situation without outbreaks. The trigger of the outbreak has been ascribed to the activation of spores due to permafrost thaw that was accelerated during the summer heat wave. The focus of our study is on the dynamics of local environmental factors in connection with the observed anthrax revival. We show that permafrost was thawing rapidly for already 6 years before the outbreak. During 2011-2016, relatively warm years were followed by cold years with a thick snow cover, preventing freezing of the soil. Furthermore, the spread of anthrax was likely intensified by an extremely dry summer of 2016. Concurrent with the long-term decreasing trend in the regional annual precipitation, the rainfall in July 2016 was less than 10% of its 30-year mean value. We conclude that epidemiological situation of anthrax in the previously contaminated Arctic regions requires monitoring of climatic factors such as warming and precipitation extremes.Peer reviewe

Overview: Recent advances in the understanding of the northern Eurasian environments and of the urban air quality in China – a Pan-Eurasian Experiment (PEEX) programme perspective

The Pan-Eurasian Experiment (PEEX) Science Plan, released in 2015, addressed a need for a holistic system understanding and outlined the most urgent research needs for the rapidly changing Arctic-boreal region. Air quality in China, together with the long-range transport of atmospheric pollutants, was also indicated as one of the most crucial topics of the research agenda. These two geographical regions, the northern Eurasian Arctic-boreal region and China, especially the megacities in China, were identified as a "PEEX region". It is also important to recognize that the PEEX geographical region is an area where science-based policy actions would have significant impacts on the global climate. This paper summarizes results obtained during the last 5 years in the northern Eurasian region, together with recent observations of the air quality in the urban environments in China, in the context of the PEEX programme. The main regions of interest are the Russian Arctic, northern Eurasian boreal forests (Siberia) and peatlands, and the megacities in China. We frame our analysis against research themes introduced in the PEEX Science Plan in 2015. We summarize recent progress towards an enhanced holistic understanding of the land-atmosphere-ocean systems feedbacks. We conclude that although the scientific knowledge in these regions has increased, the new results are in many cases insufficient, and there are still gaps in our understanding of large-scale climate-Earth surface interactions and feedbacks. This arises from limitations in research infrastructures, especially the lack of coordinated, continuous and comprehensive in situ observations of the study region as well as integrative data analyses, hindering a comprehensive system analysis. The fast-changing environment and ecosystem changes driven by climate change, socio-economic activities like the China Silk Road Initiative, and the global trends like urbanization further complicate such analyses. We recognize new topics with an increasing importance in the near future, especially "the enhancing biological sequestration capacity of greenhouse gases into forests and soils to mitigate climate change" and the "socio-economic development to tackle air quality issues".Peer reviewe

Emerging and re-emerging natural focal diseases of European Russia (typological classification of nosological profiles and dynamics of incidence)

This study considers an automated typological classification version by using the extensive factual material in analysis of emerging and re-emerging natural focal diseases of European Russia.The typological classification of nosological profile (a set of diseases) and the incidence dynamics for five nosological forms (hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, ixodic tick-borne borreliosis, tick-borne encephalitis, tularemia, and leptospirosis) was created using the formal methods of mathematical-cartographical modeling. This classification of the incidence in 1997–2015 yielded five types of the nosological profiles. These types vary by years, which is associated with the dependence of the incidence on climatic conditions in each specific year and on extent of deratization and preventive measures. The results obtained can be used to forecast potential epidemiological outbreaks and to develop targeted and appropriate for each region measures

SPATIAL PATTERNS OF PUBLIC HEALTH IN RUSSIA

The paper presents the characteristics of the status of public health in the regions of Russia in 2002–2012 conducted considering life expectancy of men and women, as well as infant mortality. Public health trends were identified in comparison with 1990–2001. Five groupsof regions with specific status of public health were isolated and analyzed. Cross-spectrumanalysis of environmental and socio-economic factors was conducted in order to explain theexisting level of mortality of the population

INFLUENCE OF CLIMATIC FACTOR ON NATURALLY DETERMINED DISEASES IN А REGIONAL CONTEXT

The spread of almost all diseases caused by living pathogens is determined primarily by environmental conditions. These pathogens like any other biological objects are the components of the certain natural ecosystems. An essential part of any medico- geographical assessment is the search for links between the spread of diseases and factors of the geographical environment. The role of factors that affect the spread of the natural diseases is unequal. The climatic factor is deemed one of the main determinants for the spread of naturally-determined diseases. This factor manifests itself at all levels of territorial differentiation. The goal of these studies was to identify the natural and climatic suitability of the certain territory for spread of diseases in order to assess the possible influence of the climatic factor on the medico-geographical situation in the context of the regional environment. The objectives are to estimate the role of climatic and weather parameters in the functioning of natural foci inRussia; to assess the natural and climatic suitability of the territory for spread of diseases; and to identify the climatic preconditions of spread of particular climate-dependent infections. In this study, on the example of several climate- depended diseases different approaches to medico-geographical assessment have been implemented and number of new methodological solutions have been proposed

HEALTH OF URBAN POPULATION IN MOSCOW AND BEIJING AGGLOMERETIONS

The paper presents the results obtained under the joint Russian-Chinese RFBR project № 12-05-91175-ГФЕН_а aimed at assessment of the state of the environment and health of the population in urban areas in Russia and China. The paper presents the authors’ approach to a comprehensive evaluation of the impact of the environment on the populationhealth of urban agglomerations and a method of regional medico-geographical analysis. A series of analytical and synthetic maps was compiled and used for a comparative geographical analysis of medical and environmental situation in Moscow and Beijing – major metropolitan areas with different natural and socio-economic conditions. The paper discusses the influence of the environment on the state of public health and identifies the leading risk factors, both general and specific to each region