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23 Feb 2009 : Column 388W—continued

The attached tables provide the number of deaths where Clostridium difficile was mentioned on the death certificate, either as the underlying cause (table 7) or as a contributing factor (table 2) for (a) males and (b) females, by age group for 2003 to 2007 (the latest year available).

Table 1. Deaths with an underlying cause of Clostridium difficile( 1) , by age group and sex, England and Wales( 2) , 2003-07( 3)
	2003		2004		2005		2006		2007
Age	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female
<45	0	2	0	0	2	2	1	9	3	5
45-54	2	2	3	1	6	9	10	8	8	13
55-64	6	17	19	12	20	23	27	38	51	46
65-74	39	49	37	63	81	104	150	168	163	207
75-84	116	223	185	284	301	465	463	785	595	829
85+	135	377	189	436	265	785	519	1,312	609	1,527
(1) Identified using the methodology described in Office for National Statistics: Report: Deaths involving Clostridium difficile: England and Wales, 2001-2005. Health Statistics Quarterly 33,71-75. (2) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

Table 2. Deaths where Clostridium difficile was mentioned as a contributory factor( 1,2) , by age group and sex, England and Wales( 3) , 2003-07( 4)
	2003		2004		2005		2006		2007
Age	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female
<45	1	6	1	3	4	4	3	21	10	12
45-54	7	4	9	6	11	19	22	18	27	35
55-64	12	27	29	27	49	41	86	84	157	134
65-74	93	86	97	118	168	190	339	333	442	457
75-84	261	410	348	534	594	851	1,001	1,446	1,338	1,742
85+	254	643	326	740	498	1,328	961	2,166	1,247	2,723
(1) Identified using the methodology described in Office for National Statistics: Report: Deaths involving Clostridium difficile: England and Wales, 2001-2005. Health Statistics Quarterly 33, 71-75. (2) Figures presented in table 2 include those where Clostridium difficile was recorded as the underlying cause (table 1). (3) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. (4) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

Death: Infectious Diseases

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many death certificates were issued in respect of deceased (a) men and (b) women which cited healthcare-associated infections as the underlying cause of death in each year since 2003, broken down by (i) age group and (ii) type of infection. [257555]

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated February 2009:

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many death certificates were issued in respect of deceased (a) men and (b) women which cited (i) healthcare-associated infections as the underlying cause of death in each year since 2003, broken down by (i) age group and (ii) type of infection. (257555)

There is currently no official definition of deaths from healthcare associated infection. The attached tables provide the number of deaths where Clostridium difficile (table 1) and Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (table 2), two specific types of healthcare associated infection, were mentioned on the death certificate as the underlying cause for (a) men and (b) women, by age group for 2003 to 2007 (the latest year available).

23 Feb 2009 : Column 389W

23 Feb 2009 : Column 390W

Table 1: Deaths with an underlying cause of Clostridium difficile,( 1) by age group and sex, England and Wales,( 2) 2003-07( 3)
Deaths
	2003		2004		2005		2006		2007
Age	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female
<45	0	2	0	0	2	2	1	9	3	5
45-54	2	2	3	1	6	9	10	8	8	13
55-64	6	17	19	12	20	23	27	38	51	46
65-74	39	49	37	63	81	104	150	168	163	207
75-84	116	223	185	284	301	465	463	785	595	829
85+	135	377	189	436	265	785	519	1,312	609	1,527
(1) Identified using the methodology described in Office for National Statistics: Report: Deaths involving Clostridium difficile: England and Wales, 2001-2005. “Health Statistics Quarterly” 33,71-75. (2) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

Table 2: Deaths with an underlying ca use of Meticillin-re sistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA),( 1) by age group and sex, England and Wales,( 2) 2003-07( 3)
Deaths
	2003		2004		2005		2006		2007
Age	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female
<45	11	11	20	9	11	13	11	10	18	10
45-54	10	6	8	10	9	9	12	11	7	5
55-64	14	15	21	13	30	8	36	18	23	19
65-74	47	42	52	27	64	30	63	42	56	33
75-84	118	69	124	90	129	110	153	107	140	76
85+	73	75	82	91	111	118	139	105	131	112
(1) Identified using the methodology described in Office for National Statistics: Report: Deaths involving MRSA: England and Wales, 2001-2005. “Health Statistics Quarterly” 33,76-81. (2) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

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