HC Deb 06 February 1989 vol 146 cc493-5W
Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many cases of listerial meningitis have been recorded since 1979; and if he will give a regional breakdown of such incidence;

(R) = Number of notifications of acute meningitis, other specified organism3 by standard region, and

(B) = Number of deaths to usual residents of standard regions with listeria meningitis2 assigned as underlying cause

1979 to 1988
1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 11988
(R) (B) (R) (B) (R) (B) (R) (B) (R) (B) (R) (B) (R) (B) (R) (B) (R) (B) (R) (B)
England and Wales4
Male 280 2 434 3 282 3 64 2 61 7 85 2 102 4 121 4 134 7 157 1
Female 194 3 301 1 253 3 67 0 45 4 56 4 84 4 88 6 100 9 140 3
Wales
Male 46 0 35 0 16 0 10 0 5 0 6 0 3 0 7 0 10 0 17 0
Female 22 1 40 0 12 0 7 0 4 0 1 0 3 0 5 1 3 0 17 0
Standard Region
North
Male 9 0 15 0 6 1 0 0 2 1 0 0 5 1 6 1 6 0 10 0
Female 3 0 10 0 6 0 0 0 5 0 3 0 4 0 0 0 3 0 11 0
Yorkshire and Humberside
Male 34 0 14 0 25 0 12 0 13 1 29 0 26 0 33 0 23 0 34 0
Female 19 0 23 0 28 0 12 0 8 1 11 0 25 0 27 1 27 0 24 1
East Midlands
Male 13 0 10 0 12 0 12 0 5 0 2 0 2 1 6 0 8 1 11 0
Female 9 1 4 0 6 0 5 0 1 0 2 1 4 1 8 1 4 0 7 0

(2) how many fatalities have been recorded as a result of listerial meningitis since 1979; and if he will give a regional breakdown of such incidence.

Mr. Freeman

From the statistics of notifications of infectious diseases, it is not possible to identify separately the number of cases of listerial meningitis. However, the table shows, in addition to the number of deaths registered with underlying cause of death assigned as listerial meningitis, the number of notifications of other specified forms of acute meningitis, including listerial meningitis.

1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 11988
(R) (B) (R) (B) (R) (B) (R) (B) (R) (B) (R) (B) (R) (B) (R) (B) (R) (B) (R) (B)
East Anglia
Male 13 0 19 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 6 0 4 0 2 0 1 0 3 0
Female 8 0 11 0 5 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 2 1 2 0 3 2 3 0
South East
Male 85 2 162 3 124 1 17 1 18 2 15 0 16 0 21 0 38 1 28 0
Female 83 1 95 0 113 1 20 0 9 1 18 2 13 1 20 2 30 3 23 1
South West
Male 19 0 12 0 18 0 1 1 3 1 8 0 17 0 12 2 15 1 23 0
Female 7 0 10 0 14 0 6 0 3 1 3 0 16 1 6 0 12 0 15 1
West Midlands
Male 10 0 16 0 19 0 3 0 4 1 7 0 8 1 11 0 17 2 11 1
Female 9 0 17 1 14 1 6 0 8 0 7 1 6 0 5 0 10 2 15 0
North West
Male 51 0 151 0 60 0 7 0 11 1 12 2 21 1 23 0 16 2 20 0
Female 34 0 91 0 55 1 9 0 6 1 10 0 11 0 15 1 8 2 25 0
1 Provisional; mortality data are for January to September registrations only.
2 International Classification of Diseases ninth revision code 027.0 (part).
3 Acute meningitis, other specified organism includes all specified meningitis organisms other than those in the meningococcal, pneumococcal, influenzal (haemophilus influenzae), and viral categories.
4 Deaths to those usually resident outside England and Wales are included in the overall totals.

Note: In 1986, neonatal deaths were no longer assigned with an underlying cause of death but mention of condition(s) present at death were given. Therefore in addition to the number of deaths shown in the table there was one neonatal death in 1986 in the South East region, and two neonatal deaths in 1987 (one in the South East region and one in the North West region) with mention of listeria meningitis on the death certificate.