As in the whole Finland, it is really safe to travel in North Savonia. There are few brown bear in wilderness but you almost never see them as they give way when hear people coming. Beware of vipers in the summer. Insects, such as mosquitoes, gadflies and deer flies are irritating and their bite itchy but not dangerous. Ticks may carry borreliosis and dangerous Tick-borne encephalitis TBE but it is extremely rare to get a disease there has been only one recorded case of TBE in North Savonia.
talk
Local dialect of Finnish is Savo. Most people speak English at least satisfactory, especially young people. Also Russian and German may be understood not widely, but don't expect people to speak or understand Finland's second language Swedish in this region.