newsminer.com

FAIRBANKS — An important key to human health in the Arctic lies in a syringe.

The introduction of vaccines has contributed to the improved health of people in the Arctic during the last 50 years, said Dr. Alan Parkinson, deputy director of the Arctic Investigations Program of the National Center for Infectious Disease, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The positive change also is attributed to better housing, sanitation and improved health care delivery during the same time period.

Parkinson spoke on current Arctic health problems and gave recommendations as part of the 2008 Conference of Arctic Parlimentarians, held at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The conference is expected to have over 150 guests from the European Parliment, indigenous peoples’ organizations and all eight Arctic Council memeber states — Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the U.S.

Vaccinations help lower rates of diseases such as Streptococcus pneunoniae, the most common cause of bacterial meningitis and Hepatitis B.

People living in Arctic and Subarctic regions face higher risks to their health than people living in more temperate regions. Parkinson shared statistics that stated residents of the Arctic are 4.2 times more likely to commit suicide that the rest of the U.S. and 3.3 times more likely to die from unintentional injury. The life expectancy in Arctic regions is 64.9 years, compared to the national average of 76.7 years.

Rapid economic and social changes are also bringing new health concerns for Arctic populations. “Modern diseases” such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular problems are now big problems for people who live in the Arctic. Parkinson said the rapid cultural changes are responsible for loss of identity and self-esteem and create social problems, such as alcohol abuse.

While modernization has created problems, the traditional Arctic lifestyle also affects Alaska health. Environmental contamination from outside sources has threatened the subsistence lifestyle in many cases.

“Mercury and other hard metals can contaminate traditional food supplies for people who depend on these foods for survival,” Parkinson said.

Parkinson said his organization’s mission is to prevent infectious disease and decrease the mortality of Arctic and Subarctic people. One of Parkinson’s recommendations is to strengthen the network and partnerships with other organizations concerned about Arctic health in order to better gather and share data with other Arctic nations.

UAF is the only university near a polar region in the U.S. and is active in the Fourth International Polar Year. Parkinson said more than 30 active Arctic health projects have been made possible by the IYP.

Human health in the Arctic is one of the three themes of the conference. Today’s theme is adaptation to climate change, and Thursday will be dedicated to development of rural energy sources. Sen. Lisa Murkowski; Gov. Palin; Patricia Cochran, chairwoman of the Inuit Circumpolar Council; and University of Alaska President Mark Hamilton all gave opening remarks and touched on the potential of natural resources located in the Arctic regions.

Hamilton’s remarks opened the future of work to be done in the area and said researchers and lawmakers must look beyond politics and the present conditions to find environmental and energy solutions.

“If you want people to respond, you must be responsible,” Hamilton said.