Abstract
We analysed mortality among people aged 65 years or older in Navarre, Spain in 2009 and compared it with the mean for the same period of time in the previous three years. In the pandemic weeks 24 to 52 2009 we observed 4.9% more deaths than expected (p=0.0268). Excess mortality occurred during the circulation of seasonal influenza (8.0%, p=0.0367) and the first wave of pandemic influenza (9.9%, p=0.0079). In the second wave of pandemic influenza there was a non-significant excess of deaths (5.2%, p=0.1166). Surveillance of laboratory-confirmed severe influenza cases detected only one death in this age group.
Highlights
Demonstrating the impact of influenza on general mortality entails considerable difficulty, and has been the object of interesting methodological discussions [2,3]
We restrict ourselves to describing the excess mortality observed in older people coinciding with the weeks of highest circulation of the pandemic influenza – and for which we have found no other arguments that could completely explain it
Coinciding with the downward secular trend in mortality, the crude rate in the period before circulation of pandemic influenza was 1.3% lower than expected, despite ageing of the population, and the standardised mortality ratio indicated a reduction of 4%
Summary
Demonstrating the impact of influenza on general mortality entails considerable difficulty, and has been the object of interesting methodological discussions [2,3]. We restrict ourselves to describing the excess mortality observed in older people coinciding with the weeks of highest circulation of the pandemic influenza – and for which we have found no other arguments that could completely explain it. Coinciding with the downward secular trend in mortality, the crude rate in the period before circulation of pandemic influenza was 1.3% lower than expected, despite ageing of the population, and the standardised mortality ratio indicated a reduction of 4%.
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