Melinda Chen
Scott Olsen
English 110
11 March 2024
The Importance of Public Health in Antarctica
Antarctica is a continent largely depicted as a barren, tundra environment and only occupied by penguins. However, the rise of tourism and scientific research has led to more people living there temporarily and traveling to Antarctica. There are around 66 scientific bases in Antarctica, of which about 37 are occupied year round, the remainder are open during the summer and closed down for winter. Additionally, there are around 4,000 people through the summer months and about 1,000 over winter each year (“Who Lives in Antarctica?”). Through the media, Antarctica is portrayed as inhospitable, resulting in people that do not consider the well-being of those that inhabit the continent. These statistics show that despite the remoteness of Antarctica, there are in fact people whose health should be cared for.
According to the National Institute of Health, the rise of people inhabiting Antarctica means that public health becomes a pertinent issue that often becomes overlooked (“Public Health in Antarctica”). Public health in Antarctica is important because we must understand how to overcome the unique challenges of the location and environment of Antarctica, while addressing health issues such as physical and mental health. The relevance and need of public health in Antarctica is something worth upholding.
Before discussing public health issues in Antarctica, we must understand what public health is and the general concerns that surround the concept. According to the National Institute of Health, public health refers to “the health of a larger community or the public”. Specifically, this means protecting and promoting health through various ways such as disease prevention, promoting healthy lifestyles, researching disease, and overall protecting the public’s health. One example of this in our current life is vaccinating populations to prevent the spread of disease, like polio.
However, public health in desolate locations such as Antarctica is usually overlooked, because the continent is not seen as important as other large populations. This is a common misconception, as public health can apply to every population, which includes small ones. Public health also includes tourists and expeditioners, as their health is affected by travel. Health problems are not unique to large populations. For example, there are many health issues that can arise due to the environment of Antarctica. These include physical problems such as dehydration, vision issues, altitude sickness, foodborne illness, and frostbite. These also include mental health issues such as depression and feelings of loneliness (“Keeping Healthy”).
In order to protect the people that travel and live in Antarctica, there are preventative measures put in place in order to protect the general population. The station that most people are occupied in is a small but close environment in proximity to other people there. Therefore, illness and disease is likely to spread quickly among a small population. According to Cureus in their article written in 2023, the confined living space at most base stations provides a conducive environment for spreading disease (“Public Health in Antarctica”).This means that people are advised to protect themselves and others from catching sickness, because being in a closed, confined environment is somewhere that disease is likely to spread. According to the National Institute of Health, individuals that travel or stay in Antarctica should be vaccinated for measles, mumps, and rubella, DTP, varicella, polio, and the yearly flu vaccine per Center for Disease Control guidelines (“Public Health in Antarctica”). Recently, travelers are also advised to follow COVID-19 precautions such as getting the vaccine and being up to date on boosters. These are all important things to follow because disease prevention should be put in place to protect the well-being of the residents that live in Antarctica. Also, a disease breakout can be much more devastating in small, dense environments like Antarctica.
Like other things, food safety is an aspect of public health that requires many preventative measures. Antarctica provides many challenges such as darkness and below freezing temperatures to overcome, which affect food safety. Although the risk of foodborne illness can’t entirely be eliminated in any place, it is important to prioritize food safety in a small population. Keeping the population healthy in an isolated part of the world is critical, because disease and illness due to foodborne illness outbreaks can devastate a small population. In Antarctica, food safety is important but challenging due to the transportation of food and environmental conditions. Food is mostly transported by ship, because growing produce is not an option. There are preventative measures set in order to improve the food safety in Antarctica. These include implementing food safety protocols, maintaining high hygiene standards, and providing adequate training to prevent foodborne illnesses (“Public Health in Antarctica”). Ensuring food safety is one of the basic measures that can easily make or break the public health of a population such as Antarctica, which is why it is a relevant issue.
Although there are many preventative measures that are put in place, there isn’t much to offer in Antarctica when it comes to medical emergencies. Antarctica has no public hospitals, pharmacies, or doctor’s offices (“What is Healthcare in Antarctica Like?”). There is a small general hospital called the McMurdo Hospital that is able to take care of minor ailments such as rashes, sprains, colds, and dental issues. Julie Parsonnet, MD, and her husband, Dean Winslow, MD, discuss their part time work providing medical care in Antarctica. In an interview, Julie Parsonnet says,“Our job is not to fix everybody. Our job is to make sure they’re fixed up enough so we can get them on a plane back to New Zealand…” (“Practicing Medicine in Antarctica: It’s a Harsh Continent”). As she explains, doctors in Antarctica prioritize their patients’ health, but their utmost concern is getting them well enough so that they can travel and access more advanced medical care in places such as New Zealand, a popular place that they send patients to. This is because Antarctica is remote and does not have a public medical facility equipped to treat emergencies.
On the same note, the lack of a public medical hospital is a challenge that medical professionals have to overcome. One of the most prominent challenges is knowing how to handle medical emergencies. Dean Winslow, MD, shares in an interview what the procedure is for an emergency plane crash. “Our exercise scenario is a plane crash on the ice a few miles from our facility—something we hope never happens—where you’d end up with as many as 25 or 30 passengers and five or six crew members all hurt from minor injuries up to serious trauma. That would overwhelm just six of us, so we train volunteers…” (“Practicing Medicine in Antarctica: It’s a Harsh Continent”). Dean Winslow explains that the lack of medical professionals and medical facilities creates a challenge for potential emergencies such as a plane crash. This means that although there aren’t many medical professionals in Antarctica, volunteers are trained so all hands can be on deck. Through Dean Winslow’s and Julie Parsonnet’s discussions, it is shown that public health remains a relevant issue in Antarctica that should be maintained.
Similar to disease and physical health, occupational health of residents in Antarctica is just as important to uphold. Occupational health means the kinds of health problems that occur while at work or from the work that is done by the individual, and it is another aspect of public health. Because many of the people in Antarctica are there for scientific research, there are a lot of risks that must be considered that can affect occupational health. The people who work in Antarctica are prone to suffer a number of physical injuries such as cold-related injuries, musculoskeletal injuries, slips, falls, and equipment-related injuries.
With these problems unique to Antarctica, there are special precautions to prevent such injuries. According to the United States National Science Foundation, the Polar Safety and Occupational Health team serves to protect and facilitate a culture of occupational safety and health throughout the Polar regions such as Antarctica (“Polar Environment, Safety, and Health”). More specifically, the team works to protect both life and property by projecting safety evaluations, incident reviews and investigations, and field assessments. In addition, regular drills and safety protocols are enforced to help prepare for and prevent accidents. These are all beneficial to the occupational health of the residents in Antarctica by continuously improving working conditions. The residents of the station include expeditioners, scientists, and support staff. Occupational health is an important aspect of public health in Antarctica, and remains relevant in creating a healthy, safe environment for the residents. It also is important for tourists in order to ensure a safe and enjoyable visit.
In addition, mental health in Antarctica is a prominent issue in Antarctica. Due to the extreme environment of Antarctica that is unlike any other, the drastic change in the living environment can have mental health effects on many individuals. This can lead to mental health conditions within the residents of Antarctica, including depression, anxiety, and a mental condition that is unique to Antarctica, called winter-over syndrome. Winter-over syndrome is a condition that occurs in individuals who “winter-over” throughout the Antarctic winter, which can last seven to eight months (“Winter-Over Syndrome”). It is most prominent in research stations in Antarctica, and there are a number of physical and mental health disturbances that arise from it. Due to the harsh environment of Antarctica, symptoms of winter-over syndrome include irritability, depression, insomnia, aggressive behavior, absentmindedness, and irritable bowel syndrome.
Consequently, providing mental health care is crucial in order to support the health of people in Antarctica. Mental health services such as counseling are provided, but are limited because of the remoteness of the continent. Therefore, the isolated environment allows for creativity in the kinds of services provided. More recently, a new kind of health support called telemedicine has been advancing to remote places such as Antarctica. Telemedicine is a way to see a healthcare provider by means of using technology such as video calls, text messaging, and more. According to the Washington Post in their article written in 2013, telemedicine allows physicians to provide treatment to scientists and support staff who would otherwise have access to only basic medical care (“Telemedicine Makes New Advances, All the Way to Antarctica”). With the help of telemedicine, doctors can diagnose and provide psychiatric counseling to individuals who otherwise would not be able to travel thousands of miles to their nearest healthcare provider.
Although telemedicine cannot provide hands-on medical care such as surgery, it can influence the decisions that are made in primary care issues and some emergencies. For example, Dr. Jeri Nielsen, an American physician, performed surgery on herself in Antarctica with the help of telemedicine. According to the AMA Journal of Ethics, the availability of telemedicine technologies opened up opportunities for Dr. Nielsen and her colleagues to treat her breast cancer while in Antarctica (“Telemedicine”). In 1999, Dr. Nielsen was stationed in the South Pole working as a physician, where she found a lump in her breast. With the extreme weather conditions at the time, Dr. Nielsen was not able to evacuate the continent. She wanted to know if the lump was cancerous, so she performed a biopsy on herself with the help of telemedicine. With an electronic connection to the United States, she was able to perform the procedure and send the sample to be tested in a medical facility outside of Antarctica. The result of her biopsy was cancerous, and she was able to be evacuated for further medical treatment. This instance remains as a reminder of the need for healthcare in remote locations. Public health is indeed relevant and is something worth upholding especially in Antarctica. Lastly, public health can be served through different means such as technology, which is beneficial and innovative for the future.
In conclusion, public health in Antarctica may be overlooked because of its remoteness compared to the rest of the world. However, public health remains a pertinent issue because of the unique environment that is provided by Antarctica. More specifically, issues that arise are maintaining physical, occupational, food safety, and mental health. The unique environment of Antarctica allows for creativity in healthcare through different means, such as telemedicine. With preventative measures in place and the promotion of healthy lifestyles, public health continues to stay relevant and important to all.
Works Cited
“Keeping Healthy.” Discovering Antarctica, The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), 3 Nov. 2015, https://discoveringantarctica.org.uk/science-and-exploration/living-in-antarctica-today/keeping-healthy/.
Lee, Jack. “Practicing Medicine in Antarctica: ‘It’s a Harsh Continent.’” Scope, Stanford University School of Medicine, 7 Jan. 2020, https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2020/01/07/practicing-medicine-in-antarctica-its-a-harsh-continent/.
Nath, Ravindra, and Pooja Sindwani. “Public Health in Antarctica.” Cureus, vol. 15, no. 12, 2023, https://doi.org10.7759/cureus.50263.
“Polar Environment, Safety and Health (PESH).” Nsf.gov, https://www.nsf.gov/geo/opp/pehs/index.jsp. Accessed 7 Mar. 2024.
Taub, Sara, and Kayhan Parsi. “Telemedicine: Assisted Self-Treatment at the South Pole.” AMA Journal of Ethics, vol. 3, no. 3, 2001, pp. 91–93, https://doi.org10.1001/virtualmentor.2001.3.3.ebyt1-0103.
“The Antarctic Population – Who Lives in Antarctica.” Coolantarctica.com, https://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/science/can_you_live_in_antarctica.php. Accessed 7 Mar. 2024.
“What Is Healthcare like in Antarctica? Health and Medical Information.” Countryreports.org, https://www.countryreports.org/country/Antarctica/health.htm. Accessed 7 Mar. 2024.
“Winter-over Syndrome – FindZebra.” Findzebra.com, https://www.findzebra.com/details/pj7zqVy-winter-over-syndrome?q=. Accessed 7 Mar. 2024.
Washingtonpost.com, https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/on-it/telemedicine-makes-new-advances-all-the-way-to-antarctica/2013/04/07/b09324aa-9d52-11e2-a941-a19bce7af755_story.html. Accessed 7 Mar. 2024.