Killer flu outbreak is to blame for a 42% spike in deaths in January after 64,000 people died - the highest number since records began

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The killer flu outbreak is to blame for a 42 per cent spike in deaths across England and Wales, statisticians claim.

Government figures reveal 64,157 people died in January - significantly higher than the death toll of 45,141 recorded in December.

It is the highest number since records began in 2006 - and only the second time it has breached 60,000.

'Circulating influenza' was blamed in the report, released today and compiled using data of deaths from each region.

It showed deaths were higher than levels recorded during the Swine flu pandemic in 2010 - considered the worst outbreak in recent years. 

Government figures reveal 64,157 people died in January - 42 per cent higher than the death toll recorded in December.

The Office for National Statistics report showed a similar trend in deaths was seen in all nine regions of England and Wales itself. 

It read: 'Circulating influenza is likely to be a contributing factor in the high number of deaths registered in January 2018.'

Some 10,011 deaths were recorded in the South East, followed by 8,625 in the North West and 7,110 in the East of England.

At the other end of the scale, 3,503 people died in the North East in January, 3,945 in Wales and 5,401 in the East Midlands. 

Latest figures show the flu outbreak has killed at least 271 people, but this is likely to be an underestimate because it only counts for confirmed hospital deaths. 

The outbreak, fuelled mainly by an aggressive B/Yamagata strain (Japanese flu) and H3N2 (Aussie flu), has now tailed off.

However, it is currently still more prevalent in England and Wales than it was back in December, when the outbreak began to take off. 

Why do deaths spike in winter? 

Deaths usually spike in the winter because of the cold weather - which forecasters expect to last for another couple of weeks.

But the last time more than 60,000 people died in a month was January 2015 - when an aggressive flu outbreak triggered a surge of deaths.

Around 16,000 deaths were blamed on the killer virus across that winter. In contrast, only 577 fatalities were recorded in the previous winter. 

Not all of the excess deaths this year will be down to influenza, but it is likely to have played a role in a significant amount. 

Why was this year so severe? 

The rocketing number of flu cases in the UK and across the world was put down to a surge in four aggressive subtypes attacking the population simultaneously.

One included H3N2, which triggered triple the number of expected cases in Australia during the country's winter. It had one of its worst outbreaks on record.

Experts feared the virulent strain could prove as deadly to humanity as the Hong Kong flu in 1968, which killed one million people.

The flu season in the UK and the rest of the Northern Hemisphere tends to mirror what has happened in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere.

The same strains of the virus circulate north in time for the British flu season, which typically begins in November and lasts until March. 

However, the UK was also hit by B/Yamagata, which has been blamed for the majority of cases so far this winter.

Its rapid spread has raised concerns because it is not covered in a vaccine given to the elderly. However, experts claim it is less severe.  

REVEALED: SIX OF THE UK VICTIMS WHO DIED FROM FLU DURING THE WINTER OF 2017/18

Melissa Whiteley, 18, passed away from flu on January 27 - after falling ill on Christmas Day.

The engineering student, from Hanford, Staffordshire, could barely walk when she was admitted to hospital.

She was placed in an induced coma but did not recover, her heartbroken twin sister revealed.

Miss Whiteley passed away at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester surrounded by her loved-ones - including her twin sister Megan - on January 27.

 

Coby Simons, nine, from Exeter, passed away on January 24 - two days after being struck down with the killer virus. His parents initially asked for his identity to be hidden.

Public Health England at the time confirmed the gifted maths pupil tested positive for flu. He becomes the sixth victim across the UK to have been named.

Tributes have flooded in for the year 5 pupil, who was shown to have influenza B in his post-mortem. He was described as 'absolutely perfect' by his parents.

His mother Louise told DevonLive: 'He was just such a lovely boy. He was absolutely perfect; I wouldn’t have changed anything about him, not even when he was in a bad mood.' 

 

Dylan Day, 12, died from flu, his heartbroken parents revealed.

The schoolboy, from Stoke-on-Trent, passed away after developing sepsis, triggered by a a strain of influenza B he was fighting, on January 20.

Tributes flooded in for the keen footballer, with family and friends describing him as an 'amazing' and 'cheeky' young boy who will be 'greatly missed'.

Dylan's mother Sarah announced his death in a poignant Facebook post, revealing he had 'really suffered' before his eventual death.

 

Bethany Walker, 18, died after taking ill at home - initially from flu symptoms which later developed into pneumonia. 

Miss Walker, of Applecross, Scotland, was airlifted to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness but died later on January 5.

Tributes poured in on social media. Her mother Heather Teale wrote on Facebook: 'My beautiful Daughter Bethany Walker was taken from me.

Miss Walker wanted to study midwifery and was due to head for Aberdeen University later this year.

 

Melanie Coombs, 56, who defied her death sentence and beat terminal cancer three times died from 'Aussie flu'.

Ms Coombs, from Hailsham, East Sussex, eventually succumbed to pneumonia and passed away in hospital shortly after Christmas.

Her grieving son, Anthony Butler, 30, believes the deadly H3N2 strain of influenza A, dubbed 'Aussie flu' was responsible for his mother's eventual death.

Speaking about his 'inspirational' mother's ordeal for the first time, he told Mirror Online: 'She said, "cancer won't kill me" - and she was right. 

 

Owen Hardy, 95, from Chichester, lost his battle to the bug on January 4. His family said his death is a ‘huge loss for the nation’.

The World War II Spitfire veteran died after contracting one of the killer flu strains that is currently circulating the UK, his grieving daughter revealed.

During his time serving for the RAF in the war, the wing commander’s heroics saw him be awarded the top medal for valour – the Legion d’Honneur. 

His heartbroken daughter, Debbie Elliott, told the Chichester Observer: ‘It’s a huge loss. We’re all devastated. He has left a huge gap in all of our lives. 

 

Sean Hughes, from Dublin, died from the 'flu' on January 12, his heartbroken parents revealed days after.

The 15-year-old, who was an aspiring rapper, passed away in hospital after being rushed for emergency treatment the evening before.

Doctors were adamant Sean, known to his friends as Lil' Red, had the flu when they saw him on Wednesday.

Tributes flooded in for Sean, who was 'loved by everyone' and described as a 'larger-than-life young man' who was 'way ahead of his years'. 

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Usually, just one subtype, of either influenza A or B, is responsible for the majority of cases. The bug spreads easily in the cold weather. 

Avoiding detection 

Flu viruses are constantly changing proteins on their surface to avoid detection by the body's immune system - making it more deadly.

This transformation is called an 'antigenic shift' if it's large enough, and can lead to a pandemic. This was responsible for the swine flu outbreak in 2009.

Health agencies for each of the home nations monitor 'excess deaths' - how many more people die than expected - to give a rough estimate of flu deaths.

However, Public Health England, Health Protection Scotland and Northern Ireland's Public Health Agency all provide data on how many have died in intensive care. 

Deaths have risen to a 'statistically significant' amount across the UK already this winter - and remain above expected in England and Northern Ireland.

How badly is the UK being hit at the moment? 

Officials announce an epidemic when flu symptoms reported in GP consultations breach an amount per 100,000 patients, with each country having its own level.  

• In England, 29.1 GP consultations per 100,000 reported flu symptoms last week. An epidemic would be defined as breaching 108.9 per 100,000.
• In Scotland, 42.8 GP consultations per 100,000 reported flu symptoms last week. An epidemic would be defined as breaching 418.9 per 100,000.
• In Northern Ireland, 39.4 GP consultations per 100,000 reported flu symptoms last week. An epidemic would be defined as breaching 142.4 per 100,000.
• In Wales, 25.2 GP consultations per 100,000 reported flu symptoms last week. An epidemic would be defined as breaching 75.4 per 100,000.

WHY WAS H3N2 CALLED AUSSIE FLU? HOW AUSTRALIA WAS ROCKED BY THE KILLER STRAIN THAT SPREAD TO UK, US AND EUROPE

Some of the country's A&E units had 'standing room only' after being swamped by more than 100,000 cases of the H3N2 strain

Australia - whose winter occurs during the British summer - had one of its worst outbreaks on record, with two and a half times the normal number of cases.

Some of the country's A&E units had 'standing room only' after being swamped by more than 100,000 cases of the H3N2 strain.

The elderly with their compromised immune systems were particularly susceptible, and a spike in cases among young children occured.

The flu season in the UK and the rest of the Northern Hemisphere mirrors what that of Australia and the Southern Hemisphere.

The same strains of the virus will circulate north in time for the British flu season, which typically begins in November and lasts until March.

Flu viruses are constantly changing proteins on their surface to avoid detection by the body's immune system - making it more deadly.

This transformation is called an 'antigenic shift' if it's large enough, and can lead to a pandemic. This was responsible for the swine flu outbreak in 2009.

The Aussie flu is transforming quickly, but not fast enough for experts to describe it as a shift. However, it is slowly building up immunity.

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