Sanitary Protection of the Territory: Specific Aspects of the Dynamics and Intensity of the Spread of Viral Respiratory Infections in the Rostov Region in 2005–2022

Introduction: The epidemic process of acute viral respiratory infections, including influenza and the novel coronavirus disease, is characterized by seasonality and depends on the spectrum of circulating viruses and social factors in a particular area. Objective: To identify characteristics of the dynamics and intensity of manifestations of the epidemic process of viral respiratory infections typical of certain groups of administrative territories of the Rostov Region. Materials and methods: Retrospective, descriptive, evaluation, and clinical epidemiology methods were used. We analyzed incidence rates for the years 2005–2022 based on federal statistical observation data (Forms 1 and 2), information about cases of acute viral respiratory infections and influenza among the population, disease notifications (Form 058/u), and reports of the Office of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) in the Rostov Region. Median rates were estimated for 2005–2020, the years before the COVID-19 pandemic. Statistical data analysis was performed using Statistica 12 (StatSoft Inc., Tulsa, OK, USA). Results: We established that children under 14 years of age were most vulnerable to novel respiratory viruses: in the 2010–2011 and 2019–2020 seasons, the incidence rates of viral respiratory infections in them were 81,902.9 %000 and 51,095.2 %000, respectively. The etiological analysis showed that in September to November, 87.9 % of all cases were induced by non-influenza respiratory viruses. The development of the epidemic process was determined by socio-economic characteristics of different groups of administrative territories. Based on incidence rates, the administrative territories of the Rostov Region were divided into three groups: the city of Rostov-on-Don, the Rostov urban agglomeration, and the Rostov agricultural agglomeration, the latter consisting of 36 municipal districts. Importation of pathogens into the administrative center and urban agglomeration led to the rapid spread of diseases among the urban population, while in the agricultural agglomeration, they manifested themselves within local foci. Conclusion: The established specifics of the spread of infections in different groups of territories can be used to predict and model the epidemiological situation, including in cases of emergence of new viruses.