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Indoor air quality is a major issue for public health, particularly in northern communities. In this extreme environment, adequate ventilation is crucial to provide a healthier indoor environment, especially in airtight dwellings. The main objective of the study is to assess the impact of ventilation systems and their optimization on microbial communities in bioaerosols and dust in 54 dwellings in Nunavik. Dwellings with three ventilation strategies (without mechanical ventilators, with heat recovery ventilators, and with energy recovery ventilators) were investigated before and after optimization of the ventilation systems. Indoor environmental conditions (temperature, relative humidity) and microbiological parameters (total bacteria, Aspergillus/Penicillium, endotoxin, and microbial biodiversity) were measured. Dust samples were collected in closed face cassettes with a polycarbonate filter using a micro-vacuum while a volume of 20 m3 of bioaerosols were collected on filters using a SASS3100 (airflow of 300 L/min). In bioaerosols, the median number of copies was 4.01 × 103 copies/m3 of air for total bacteria and 1.45 × 101 copies/m3 for Aspergillus/Penicillium. Median concentrations were 5.13 × 104 copies/mg of dust, 5.07 × 101 copies/mg, 9.98 EU/mg for total bacteria, Aspergillus/Penicillium and endotoxin concentrations, respectively. The main microorganisms were associated with human occupancy such as skin-related bacteria or yeasts, regardless of the type of ventilation.

Between 2007 and 2012, hospitalization rate related to respiratory system diseases in children ≤1-year-old was near 7 times higher in Nunavik compared with the whole province of Quebec. To assess the impact of poor indoor air quality (IAQ) in residential environments on children's respiratory health, the Nunavik's intervention study investigated the impact of the optimization of ventilation systems on the incidence rates of respiratory infections in children in Nunavik. Children under 10 years were recruited and categorized according to the type of ventilation system in their home: energy recovery ventilator (ERV), heat recovery ventilator (HRV), no HRV or ERV, and control groups. Children's' medical records were analyzed over a period of 50 weeks pre- and post-intervention. Clinical diagnoses were classified into 4 categories: upper respiratory infections, lower respiratory infections, otitis media, and asthma. A decrease in respiratory infections episodes was observed in all groups following intervention with the highest impact observed for HRV systems (-53.0%). Decreases in the ERV group were not significant (-21,7%) possibly due to the presence of some volatile organic compound (such as propylene glycol) and inerrant experimental bias. Nevertheless, no significant association was found between health episodes incidence and household's behaviors or IAQ.

Background In Nunavik, arctic rabies is still endemic with spillover from wildlife to dogs. The prevention of human exposure and the management of potential exposure is a high public health concern there.Methods The study retrospectively described cases of potential exposure to rabies in human reported to the Nunavik Public Health Board using the registry of declared cases. Multi-correspondence analysis as well as univariable and multivariable regression models were used to appraise the difference between children and adults and the importance of dogs.Results From 2008 to 2017, 320 cases of potential exposures to rabies were reported, 92% linked to dogs. The annual incidence rate was 2.5 per 1,000 population. The incidence increased significantly during the study period without clear explanation for that. Fifteen exposures actually were with rabid animals, mostly dogs (9 out of the 15). No human cases of rabies occurred thank to adequate medical case management. Two specific profiles for potential exposure to rabies were identified based on age and gender. Children (< 15 y/o), male or female, were more likely to be exposed through playing with dogs and more often injured in the head and/or the neck. Young male adult cases (aged 15 to 34 y/o) were more involved with wildlife than other age groups and mostly injured in the upper limbs and as a reaction from the animal.Conclusions Rabies being a serious and genuine public health threat in Nunavik, potential exposure to rabies needs to be prevented and prevention measures should be tailored to the two risk profiles identified based on age, gender and the animal involved.

Background In Nunavik, Arctic rabies is still endemic due to a spillover from wildlife to dogs. The prevention of human exposure and the management of potential exposure is a significant public health concern in this region. Methods This study retrospectively describes cases of potential exposure to rabies in humans as reported to the Nunavik Public Health Board through their registry of reported cases. We used multi-correspondence analysis as well as univariable and multivariable regression models to test for differences between children and adults in reported cases, and to examine the contexts of exposure to dogs and dog attacks. Results From 2008 to 2017, 320 cases of potential exposure to rabies were reported, 92% of which were linked to dogs. The annual incidence rate was 2.5 per 1000 people. The incidence increased significantly during the study period, although the reasons for this are unclear. Fifteen cases of exposure were with rabid animals, mostly dogs (9 of 15). No human cases of rabies occurred thanks to adequate medical case management. Two specific profiles for potential exposure to rabies were identified based on age and gender. The first was children ( Conclusion Rabies is a real public health threat in Nunavik. Potential human exposure needs to be prevented, and prevention measures should be tailored to the two risk profiles identified based on age, gender and animal species involved.