Flu-associated deaths in England highest for five years
22.06.2023 - 17:05
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Over 14,500 deaths were associated with influenza in England throughout the 2022/23 season, representing the highest death toll since 2017/18, according to recent figures. In addition, extreme cold weather is likely linked to a further 5,500 deaths, the greatest number in the past ten years.
Last winter was particularly challenging for healthcare services, grappling with a fresh wave of Covid-19 cases, the first significant flu wave since the pandemic started, and a period of extreme cold. Experts suggest the flu's impact was magnified due to "lower population immunity", given the negligible flu circulation during the previous two winters under Covid control measures. Nonetheless, flu vaccines reportedly "helped prevent a much worse winter."
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) estimates that 14,623 flu-related deaths occurred during the 2022/23 season in England. This number is the most substantial since the 2017/18 season when 22,419 deaths were recorded. Each flu season spans from week 40 of one year to week 20 of the next, in this case, from the week beginning October 3, 2022, to the week ending May 21, 2023.
The highest number of flu-related deaths in the past decade was 29,965 in 2014/15. Of the 14,623 estimated deaths in the 2022/23 season, 12,546 – or 86% – were among individuals aged 65 and older. A higher percentage (93%) of deaths tied to cold weather were among the over-65s, with 5,136 out of the estimated 5,533 total.
Dr Conall Watson, UKHSA's leading flu epidemiologist, stated, "Flu returned at scale last winter after being locked out by Covid-19 control measures. Lower population immunity following flu’s absence played a part in the season starting relatively early and led to lots of people catching