Winter deaths 2004-05

27 October 2005

There were 2,760 excess deaths in Scotland during the winter of 2004/05, a slight drop in comparison to winter deaths for 2003/04, the Registrar General for Scotland reported today in Excess Winter Deaths in Scotland, 2003/05.

Provisional data shows there were 2,760 more deaths in the winter of 2004/05 compared to its shoulder periods of August to November 2004 and April to July 2005. However, this is a lower number than that of the 2003/04 winter - when 2,840 deaths were recorded.

And it remains considerably lower than the 5,190 winter deaths in 1999/2000, the last time influenza activity was at a relatively high level.

Duncan Macniven, Registrar General for Scotland, said:

“Last winter was quite mild and there was no serious flu outbreak. So there were only 2,760 more deaths in the winter months than in the average of the months before and after the winter. That compares with 5,190 additional deaths in the winter of 1999-2000, which saw the last major flu outbreak.

“There is not a single common cause behind these winter deaths. The main causes of additional deaths in winter are respiratory and circulatory diseases. Hypothermia accounts for very few deaths.”

Notes for News editors

1. The detailed tables (which include historical trends and breakdowns by age-group, gender and health board area) and further background information may be found on this website in Excess Winter Deaths in Scotland, 2003/05.

2. Comparable information for England and Wales is also being released today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). More information may be found on the ONS website.

3. Requests for any additional information should be sent to Statistics Customer Services using our Contact Form.