Arctic and Antarctica

The Arctic and Antarctic regions are characterized by sparse populations living in small, isolated settlements which tend to have crowded households. Although there are regional differences, living conditions and disease patterns for these populations are relatively comparable. Scientific studies on infectious diseases in Arctic regions inhabited by indigenous people are most often performed on high‐incident diseases. A number of infectious diseases such as invasive disease caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae, tuberculosis, chronic otitis media, hepatitis B virus, sexually transmitted infections, Helicobacter pylori, parasitic infections, and bacterial zoonoses occur at higher rates in Arctic regions than in their southern counterparts. This chapter describes infections with known high prevalence in the Arctic regions of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Siberia. The infectious disease patterns for persons living in and traveling to Svalbard and the Antarctic reflect those of their corresponding populations (e.g. Norway for Svalbard and countries of origin for persons traveling to the Antarctic).