FOI REF: FOI/2023/4982
You asked
How many deaths due to measles occurred in England and Wales in 2021 and 2022?
We said
Thank you for your request.
Our mortality data comes from the information collected at death registration. All the conditions mentioned on the death certificate are coded using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). From all of these causes an underlying cause of death is selected using ICD-10 coding rules.
The underlying cause of death is defined by WHO as:
a) the disease or injury that initiated the train of events directly leading to death, or
b) the circumstances of the accident or violence that produced the fatal injury
The ICD-10 cause code for measles is B05 and the cause code for Rubella (German Measles) is B06.
2021 data
The information you have requested part of our explorable dataset available on our NOMIS webservice. Please see the following instructions for using this service:
Select timeframe - 2013 to 2021
Select the geography (England and Wales, regional or by local authority)
Select Age - All ages or 5-year age bands
Select Gender - Total or Male/Female
Select rates - All deaths, rates or percentage of population for example
Select cause of death (ICD10 code search is available)
Select format (Excel or CSV for example)
Using NOMIS there was one death registered in England and Wales where the underlying cause of death (due to) was ICD-10 code B05 Measles in 2021.
2022 data
We have not completed analysis of 2022 registrations or occurrences to allow the inclusion of late registrations which are deaths referred for Coroner investigation. This data will be available by cause in July 2023 as part of the Deaths registered in England and Wales and available on NOMIS.
We have conducted a check of current provisional data for 2022 and can confirm there have been no death occurrences with the ICD-10 code of B05 or B06. This is based on provisional data and is subject to change with the inclusion of late registrations.
For further information, please contact health.data@ons.gov.uk.