Epidemiological characteristics of socially significant infectious diseases as an indicator of the quality of life of the population

Abstract

Background. Incidence and prevalence of socially significant infectious diseases are the most important indicators of the quality of life and sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population.The aim is to identify structural, quantitative and dynamic features of incidence and prevalence of socially significant infectious diseases among the population in the post-Soviet period (on the example of the Irkutsk region).Methods. The materials of the forms of federal statistical observation № 2, № 12, databases posted on the websites of the Federal State Statistics Service, the Unified Interdepartmental Information and Statistical System, the Center for Demographic Research of the Russian School of Economics were used in the study. An epidemiological analysis of morbidity indicators and a comparative assessment with the average Russian data have been carried out. Trend analysis was performed by linear regression analysis using the SPSS software (IBM Corp., USA).Results. The highest levels of tuberculosis prevalence in the Irkutsk region were noted in the period from 1999 to 2013 (352.1–436.9 0/0000). The incidence rate of syphilis increased by 1997 to the maximum value – 431.4 0/0000; in subsequent years, the incidence rate decreased, amounting to 28.8 0/0000 in 2019. Very high incidence rates of gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, chlamydia were noted in the region until the end of the 2000s. The dynamics of the prevalence of HIV infection since 1999 was characterized by a rapid increase in the indicator (in 2018 – 1995.0 0/0000), which made the region one of the most unfavorable in the country for this type of pathology. Thus, in the Irkutsk region since the second half of the 1990s until the late 2000s – early 2010s there was a pronounced increase in the incidence of socially significant infectious diseases to very high values, significantly exceeding the national average. In the subsequent period (2012–2019), there was a consistent decrease in the incidence rate.Conclusion. The quality of life of the population of Siberia in the post-Soviet period suffered to the greatest extent. This led to a rapid increase in the levels of morbidity with socially significant infectious diseases. A transition to the state model of the advanced development of human potential is required to reduce morbidity to an acceptable level.