The purpose of this study is an assessment of modern epizootic-epidemiological features of rabies in the territory of the Russian Federation with the identification of risk factors for complications of the situation for control and surveillance. The study analyzed the results of rabies surveillance in Russia based on data obtained from 2000 to 2017.

The aim of the study was to develop a unified approach to a comprehensive risk assessment of the anthrax situation deterioration based on the ranking of territories by epidemiologically significant factors. Materials and methods . For a comprehensive risk assessment of the situation complication, the statistical principles of ranking of the estimated indicators were used. These indicators comprise the presence and activity of soil foci of anthrax, the prevailing soil types and their main characteristics, as well as social risk factors associated with the peculiarities of animal husbandry and the possibility of infection of the population. The proposed assessment method has been tested on a national scale, and its content and results are described in this paper by the example of the Volga Federal District. The materials of the study were federal and regional cadastres of stationary hazardous as regards anthrax areas, an atlas and maps of soils, data of statistical accounting and reporting of Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography and Rospotrebnadzor. Results and discussion . It has been established that in all constituent entities of the district there are potential risks of the situation deterioration that are associated with the presence of soil foci. In terms of the sum of ranks, the greatest potential disadvantage is noted in a number of republics and regions of the Volga Region. At the same time, the real danger is mainly due to social factors, which include the characteristics of animal husbandry, as well as the degree of susceptibility of the population. The maximum risks are currently identified in the territories of the republics of Bashkortostan and Tatarstan, as well as in the Saratov Region. The study is aimed at improving the efficiency of anthrax epidemiological surveillance in the Russian Federation, and the proposed methodology can be used at all levels of surveillance.

Climatic changes have already resulted and will continue to result in gradual degradation of active upper layers in permafrost due to increased average air temperature in summer. Anthrax is an example of a climate-depending bacterial infection; anthrax agent creates spores that remain viable for a long period of time they spend in cryptobiosis in permafrost. Apparent permafrost degradation is already detected in most arctic regions in Russia and it can lead to anthrax burials decay thus creating elevated risks of the infection among farm animals and people who live on these territories. Our research goal was to create specific zones in municipal districts via combining data on permafrost, number of anthrax cattle burials, ascending trends in average long-term temperatures, and population density. We developed two relative hazard coefficients for characterizing anthrax outbreaks probability for animals and local population. Basing on numeric values obtained for these two coefficients, 70 administrative districts located in 15 RF subjects in the Arctic zone were listed in a descending order as per risks of the infection occurrence. We created two score scales showing relative hazard; they indicated that the highest population risk was typical for urban districts as population density there was much high than in rural ones. Our calculations should be helpful for determining priorities when preventive activities are developed on arctic and sub-arctic territories that are endemic as per anthrax. It is also important to obtain an actual list of cattle burials and to develop spatial-time models showing anthrax outbreaks occurrence taking into account climatic warming and permafrost degradation.

The aim of the study was to develop a unified approach to a comprehensive risk assessment of the anthrax situation deterioration based on the ranking of territories by epidemiologically significant factors.Materials and methods. For a comprehensive risk assessment of the situation complication, the statistical principles of ranking of the estimated indicators were used. These indicators comprise the presence and activity of soil foci of anthrax, the prevailing soil types and their main characteristics, as well as social risk factors associated with the peculiarities of animal husbandry and the possibility of infection of the population. The proposed assessment method has been tested on a national scale, and its content and results are described in this paper by the example of the Volga Federal District. The materials of the study were federal and regional cadastres of stationary hazardous as regards anthrax areas, an atlas and maps of soils, data of statistical accounting and reporting of Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography and Rospotrebnadzor.Results and discussion. It has been established that in all constituent entities of the district there are potential risks of the situation deterioration that are associated with the presence of soil foci. In terms of the sum of ranks, the greatest potential disadvantage is noted in a number of republics and regions of the Volga Region. At the same time, the real danger is mainly due to social factors, which include the characteristics of animal husbandry, as well as the degree of susceptibility of the population. The maximum risks are currently identified in the territories of the republics of Bashkortostan and Tatarstan, as well as in the Saratov Region. The study is aimed at improving the efficiency of anthrax epidemiological surveillance in the Russian Federation, and the proposed methodology can be used at all levels of surveillance.

The article dwells on opportunities granted by application of geoinformation technologies in surveillance over anthrax, an infection that still remains rather dangerous. It was shown that, in spite of a decrease in incidence with anthrax among animals and people, risks persist on the RF territory; these risks are caused by residual activity in soil foci. A geoinformation system was applied to determine that at present areas where anthrax can be detected are predominantly located in forest-steppe zones, steppe zones, dry steppe zones, and Caucasian-Crimean mountain regions. 82 % of all the outbreaks detected in the 21st century occurred in these geographic zones. Unfavorable situation with anthrax seems to be clearly bound to territories with prevailing leached black earth, common black earth, mountain black earth, and mountain cinnamonic soil. Over the last years most anthrax outbreaks have occurred on these territories. All these territories were shown to have warm climate, with predominant stockbreeding in agriculture, as well as great numbers of cattle in private households; these cattle grazed freely on territories of natural foci with anthrax, and a lot of household work was handled manually. Territories that took leading places among unfavorable ones usually had a lot of households with cattle that nowadays remains a basic source of epidemiologic risk. We chose Tatarstan as a model region to show opportunities offered by a geoinformation system for improving epidemiologic sur-veillance over anthrax in relation to risk assessment. This territory was chosen due to high epizootologic activity and sporadic incidence among population detected there. We revealed risk territories in the region, determined basic reasons for unfavorable situation with anthrax as well as factors that made this situation even more complicated.