Climate warming in the Arctic may increase the risk of zoonoses due to expansion of vector habitats, improved chances of vector survival during winter, and permafrost degradation. Monitoring of soil temperatures at Siberian cryology control stations since 1970 showed correlations between air temperatures and the depth of permafrost layer that thawed during summer season. Between 1900s and 1980s, the temperature of surface layer of permafrost increased by 2–4°C; and a further increase of 3°C is expected. Frequent outbreaks of anthrax caused death of 1.5 million deer in Russian North between 1897 and 1925. Anthrax among people or cattle has been reported in 29,000 settlements of the Russian North, including more than 200 Yakutia settlements, which are located near the burial grounds of cattle that died from anthrax. Statistically significant positive trends in annual average temperatures were established in 8 out of 17 administrative districts of Yakutia for which sufficient meteorological data were available. At present, it is not known whether further warming of the permafrost will lead to the release of viable anthrax organisms. Nevertheless, we suggest that it would be prudent to undertake careful monitoring of permafrost conditions in all areas where an anthrax outbreak had occurred in the past.

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In this study, the prevalence of EA across different regions of the Russian Federation was analyzed. The prevalence of EA in the period under study remained stable, and the relative risk of EA was associated with maternal age, birth weight and gravidity. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 106:854-859, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

This article presents the results of analysis of mortality dynamics among population of 9 territories of Arctic and Subarctic regions, using linear regression technique. All-cause mortality reduction was significantly greater in the 4 territories of the country. These 4 regions were: Murmansk region and Komi Republic (for females), Archangelsk region (for both sexes) and Republic Sakha (Yakutia) (for males). The following regions displayed mortality reduction which was close to national averages or less: YaNAO, KhMAO and Magadan region. Mortality rates among males declined faster than that among females. Relatively lower mortality indicators in the territories of YaNAO and KhMAO could likely be attributed to migration of the population to mid-latitude regions with accumulated burden of northern pathology. Mortality reduction tendencies from the leading death causes (diseases of circulatory system, respiratory diseases, external causes) in the region are close to national averages. The most strongly mortality reduced from brain strokes, myocardial infarction and external causes of death. The mortality rates and the mortality dynamics can be described as relatively positive in the region on the whole, except for "other diseases of circulatory system" category, where mortality rates exceeded national average twice in particular years. Life expectancy in the Arctic region is close to that in Russia, except two autonomous regions - Khanty-Mansiisky and Yamalo-Nenetsky, where life expectancy was higher than national average by 1.7 and 2.6 years among males and by 0.4 and 0.7 years among females, respectively. The situation in Nenetsky and Chukotsky Autonomous Regions and in Magadan region remains unclear because of possible inaccuracy of primary data.

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