Mapping Russia's Natural Focal Diseases

This chapter contains a short summary of natural focal disease theory, which was developed by Evgeny Pavlovsky, a Soviet scientist, in the 1930s. This theory generalized material and data that had been gathered on natural focal infectious and parasitic diseases and the complex networks of mutually linked and mutually dependent pathogen, animal host and arthropod vector populations, which make up a biotic component that is organically linked to natural landscapes. The history of research on natural focal diseases in Russia, the contributions of Russian and Soviet scientists to the development of the theory of the emergence and spread of natural focal diseases and modern achievements in this discipline are also described. The understanding of what makes a natural focus is discussed, along with the theory’s main tenets. The level of cartographical research on the spread of natural focal diseases in Russia is briefly characterized, and the methodology of map compilation is also explained. The chapter includes a geographical map of Russia and a map of its federal administrative divisions, which simplifies the later connections between the thematic content, geographic units and units of territorial divisions.

This chapter examines the contemporary understanding of natural preconditions for disease as unique features of the environment that determine the emergence and function of host–parasite systems and the spread of natural foci.

This chapter provides a brief characterization of the groups of animal hosts and vectors that carry natural focal disease from the perspective of their roles in the formation and function of natural foci. The distribution of the most important epidemiologically significant mammals, birds and fish, as well as bloodsucking insects and ticks is examined and illustrated with a series of maps. The maps were compiled based on materials collected by the authors and are the result of long-term studies in various regions of Russia, as well as the analysis of a substantial amount of literary data and archival material. The animals’ ranges are given by individual taxonomic unite (class, order, etc.) and are represented in accordance with traditional methods of small-scale zoogeographical cartography. The textual commentary illuminated the role of each species in the formation and function of natural foci and their association with specific landscapes.

The chapter presents textual descriptions and maps that represent the distribution, long-term average annual morbidity rate for 85 administrative subjects of the Russian Federation, and the long-term dynamics of the major natural focal diseases found on Russian territory. The chapter contains information on the distribution of 23 nosological entities (diseases), their epidemic function, conditions of population infections and oscillations in epizootic and epidemiological activity in natural foci that note seasonality and annual changes. Wherever possible, the level of danger and infection risk are evaluated. Map compilation was based on statistical data on population morbidity for infectious diseases from 1997 to 2015 and parasitic diseases from 2006 to 2015. These data were gathered by government sanitary and epidemiological monitoring services. Given the unique features of information collected based on administrative divisions, Russia’s administrative subjects serve as the main cartographic units. Three integrated maps are provided at the end of the chapter: they present the morbidity structure of a network of natural focal infections, the major natural focal parasitic diseases, as well as nosological profiles of Russia’s administrative subjects, which provide information on the particular set and intensity of diseases in each subject.

The chapter presents a brief characterization of the system of sanitary and epidemiological monitoring in the Russian Federation. Its work is aimed at ensuring epidemiological safety in the environment. A textual description of its structure is provided and illustrated with three maps, one of which reflects border control points that exert sanitary control, while the others show the locations of major sanitary, epidemiological and hygienic institutions in Russia.