Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the level and structure of occupational diseases in the Murmansk Region

Various negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for the health of the world's population continue to be studied by scientists of many specialties. The aim of the study was to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the structure and indicators of occupational morbidity in the Murmansk region in 2020-2023. We studied data of the Murmansk Regional Register of Occupational Diseases in 2003-2023, including in 2018-2019, 2020-2021 and 2022-2023, that is, during the two years before the onset of the pandemic, during and after the peak of the pandemic. In 2020, the incidence of occupational diseases in the Murmansk region decreased by 2.89 times, followed by an increase of 1.85-3.79 times in 2021-2023. At the same time, the number of sick workers, the number of diseases and the level of occupational diseases in 2023 exceeded the indicators of 2019, which preceded the pandemic. In the structure of occupational pathology in 2020-2021, 14 cases of coronavirus infection were noted. Occupational coronavirus infection was not diagnosed in 2022-2023, just as all other infectious diseases were absent during the four years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Other structural differences were manifested by higher shares of respiratory diseases in 2020-2021 than in 2018-2019 and 2022-2023, malignant neoplasms in 2020-2021 and 2022-2023 compared to 2018-2019 and vibration disease in 2022-2023 compared to 2018-2019 and 2020-2021. The obtained results have scientific novelty and practical significance. The identified changes in the structure of occupational diseases and the incidence rate during the COVID-19 pandemic should be taken into account when planning treatment and preventive measures in the event of a threat of mass infectious diseases in the Murmansk region. The reasons for the identified changes require further study.