Health risks, emergency preparedness and Norwegian-Russian cooperation on Svalbard. A systematic review

• Published in: International Journal of Circumpolar Health
• Main Authors: Turid Austin Wæhler, Tor Ingebrigtsen
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2022
• Subjects: Arctic; emergency preparedness; global health; health systems; international cooperation; svalbard; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Svalbard; Circumpolar Health; International Journal of Circumpolar Health
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2022.2049055; https://doaj.org/article/b6f181f21f0b447aae0af66099f32a1c

This is the first systematic review to explore health risks on Svalbard. We have analysed data retrieved from 18 articles that met eligibility criteria and present a mixed-methods quantitative and qualitative narrative synthesis. Norwegian and Russian inhabitants on Svalbard were compared with the respective mainland populations, and we found no evidence of an increased risk for or prevalence of diseases. The rate of injuries caused by snowmobile accidents were significantly higher, but this was outweighed by a correspondingly lower rate of other injuries. A small unique risk for injuries inflicted by polar bears was confirmed. We identified knowledge gaps concerning how health care and emergency preparedness are organised.