Climate Change and Threats to Public Health in the Kaliningrad Region

Aim. Against the general background of global climate warming, to study the regional features of this process as a risk factor for the health of the population of the Kaliningrad region. Methodology. The study is based on data on average monthly and annual air temperature and precipitation at meteorological stations in the Kaliningrad region for various periods from 1949 to 2022. Statistical processing of time series was performed, identifying trends and anomalies based on standard programs. Results. Positive effects of climate change are noted, in particular, an increase in the duration of the period with air temperature above 10˚ to 160–180 days per year. The average warming rate in recent decades in the westernmost region of Russia reaches 0.49˚C/10 years, in some months (February, March) exceeds 0.6˚C/10 years. A trend of an increase in the number of days with abnormally high air temperature, exceeding 29.5˚ over the past 30 years by three times is characterized. The increasing extremity of climate change and heat waves are considered to be the leading health risk factors. Examples of heat waves influencing cardiovascular disease and mortality, the spread of natural focal infections, in particular, Lyme disease, are given. It was established that in the Kaliningrad Region outbreaks of diseases caused by ixodid ticks occurred in years with extremely high air temperatures in the winter-spring periods. Research implications. Conclusions were made about the need to expand research in the field of weather and climate factors on human health in order to improve the quality of life of the population of the Kaliningrad region.