Epizootic and Epidemiological Situation on Tularemia in the Russian Federation in 2025. Forecast for 2026

Abstract

Epizootiological-epidemiological situation on tularemia in the Russian Federation in 2025 has been assessed and forecast for 2026 is provided. In 2025, 45 cases of human tularemia were registered in the Russian Federation (incidence rate of 0.03 per 100,000 population) across 16 regions of the country. The highest proportion of cases was recorded in the Stavropol Territory and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region (21.6 and 16.2 %, respectively). Arkhangelsk Region and Republic of Karelia accounted for 10.8% each, the Kirov, Omsk and Chelyabinsk Regions – 8.1% each, Voronezh, Yaroslavl, Nizhny Novgorod Regions and the Krasnodar Territory – 2.7% each. The main share (48.9%) of all cases occurred in August and September. The urban population predominated in the morbidity structure – 62.2%. The incidence was characterized by a relatively even distribution by gender: men accounted for 55.6%, women – 44.4%. The largest share of the affected was among people of working age, but noteworthy is the significant proportion of sick children under 17 years of age – 24.5%. Ulceroglandular tularemia (A21.0) predominated, accounting for 71.1% of cases. A total of 871,599 people were vaccinated or revaccinated against tularemia. Nationwide, 28 cultures of Francisella tularensis were isolated from field material in 7 entities. High risk of epidemiological complications due to tularemia will persist in 20 regions of the Russian Federation: Arkhangelsk, Leningrad, Volgograd, Kirov, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Tomsk, Kherson and Zaporozhe Regions; the Republics of Karelia, Crimea, Mordovia, Tuva, Buryatia and Sakha (Yakutia); Stavropol and Altai Territories; Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region; and the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics.