Winter death toll highest since 1975: Failure of flu jab to combat severe outbreak resulted in more than 50,000 extra people dying in England and Wales last year
- The number of excess deaths in winter exceeded the daily five-year average
- Excess winter deaths doubled among males aged 0 to 64 compared to last year
- Experts at ONS are blaming the flu epidemic, failing vaccines and colder months
More than 50,000 excess deaths were recorded across England and Wales last winter, official figures show.
Excess deaths refer to the amount of patients that died unexpectedly, calculated by comparing the mortality rate from winter months to the rest of the year.
The shocking figures have been partially blamed on the deadly strains of flu that swept the nations over the colder months of December to March.
Statisticians also blamed the ineffectiveness of the flu jab, with only 15 per cent who were given last year's vaccine fully protected against the virus.
The Office for National Statistics figures show that the number of excess winter deaths were the highest in more than four decades - since 1975/76.
Figures show more than 50,000 people died last winter in England and Wales 'because of the severe flu outbreak'. It is the highest record in almost 40 years. Graph showing the amount of excess deaths in England and Wales between 1950 to 1951 and 2017 to 2018 compared to a five-year average
Nick Stripe, head of health analysis and life events at the ONS, said: 'It is likely that last winter's increase was due to the predominant strain of flu, the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine and below-average winter temperatures.'
The figures showed that excess winter mortality in 2017 to 2018 significantly increased in just one year in all English regions and Wales, with Wales showing the highest figures.
The only day that didn't exceed the daily death expectations was March 25.
The data, from the ONS, also shows more than a third (34.7 per cent) of the deaths were caused by respiratory diseases, with pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases accounted for the largest proportions.
Excess winter deaths continued to be highest among females and people aged 85 and over. Of the estimated number, 43.7 per cent were males and 56.1 per cent were females.
The authors suggest this may be explained by the higher proportion of females aged 85 years and over compared with males.
The figures showed that excess death rates doubled among males aged 0-64 between the winter of 2016 to 2017 and 2017 to 2018.
Mr Stripe says peaks like these are not unusual. He said: 'We have seen more than eight peaks during the last 40 years.'
The most recent peak was observed in 2014 to 2015, when 27 per cent more people died in the winter months compared with the non-winter months.
However, 2017 to 2018 rates exceeded this by approximately 6,000 deaths.
Graph showing the amount of excess deaths in England and Wales between 1991 to 2018
Graph showing the peak in excess deaths across the year from August 2017 to July 2018
Government officials admitted in July that last year's flu vaccine failed to work for most people. For over-65s – the group most at risk of flu – only 10 per cent of people were protected.
The reason for this was because it was developed in March 2017, before scientists were able to predict what strains of flu would be in circulation eight months later when flu season begins.
A strain known as B Yamagata, which became the most dominant last year, was a surprise for experts, and most of the vaccines offered no protection against it.
Four main types of flu were seen in hospitals last winter, including the 'Aussie flu'. The H3N2 flu strain caused a major outbreak in Australia in the winter of 2016 and is resistant against vaccination among the elderly.
The severe flu outbreak, in conjunction with high levels of norovirus and cold weather, put extreme pressure on health services and provided the worst conditions some doctors had ever seen in hospital.
Around 55,000 operations were cancelled in January alone in a bid to relieve pressure on the NHS.
The worst flu season in a decade also led to Britain's highest weekly death toll for three years.
More than 15,000 deaths – the great majority of which were elderly people - were recorded in the second week of January.
This was amid a wave of seasonal illnesses, freezing weather conditions, and reports of crisis conditions in hospitals, with one third of the increase in emergency admissions were flu-related.
Experts have warned things aren't likely to improve in the coming winters.
In March, scientists predicted the next flu pandemic could kill 886,000 people in the UK and infect nearly three quarters of the population.
Government officials have previously warned an outbreak of a mutated influenza strain is on the horizon and poses a bigger threat to humanity than terrorism.
A mutated strain is the most likely contender to wipe out millions, because it can join together with other strains to become deadlier.
This process is what sparked the Swine flu pandemic of 2009 - which killed nearly 300,000 people across the world after striking around 60 countries.
The authors of the report said there are many reasons why countries with milder or varying winter temperatures - including England, Spain and Portugal - have higher excess rates death.
These include people not taking the right precautions against the cold, by not wrapping up warm enough or not having proper insulation in the house.
They add that the temperature's relationship with mortality during winter is a complex.
Most watched News videos
- Terrifying moment driver overtakes van and narrowly avoids crash
- Sally Nugent hilariously finds out 'hedgehog' is a hat bobble
- Starmer and Rayner embrace as they launch election campaign
- Three men seen running out of Beckenham station after knife attack
- 'Satan took over me': Hamas terrorist confesses of raping woman
- Heartless criminals steal van terminally ill boy uses
- Camilla hands out gifts at Royal Maundy ceremony on behalf of King
- Police carry slingshots to defend themselves against crazed monkeys
- Tourist is filmed napping in his tent on the beach with a crocodile
- Hilarious moment King's Guard shout 'make way' at pigeons in London
- Russian plane spiralling out of control crashes in sea in Crimea
- Queen Camilla greets children after traditional Maundy service