§ Mr. Bob RussellTo ask the Secretary of State for health what was the incidence of asthma(a) in the Colchester parliamentary constituency and (b) nationally in each year since 1987. [4178]
§ Ms JowellAccording to the available data provided by North Essex Health Authority, the number of in-patient finished consultant episodes for asthma, for people whose home address was in Colchester, was as follows:
- 1994–95: 909
- 1995–96: 1,023
- 1996–97: 1,075
1996–97 is a forecast figure as data are only available until end of February 1997. Nationally, there are no comprehensive data on the number of people with asthma.
According to data collected by the Royal College of General Practitioners, the mean weekly incidence of new GP episodes of asthma per 100,000 population in England for each year since 1987 was as follows:
- 1987: 27.2
- 1988: 33.3
- 1989: 34.0
- 1990: 37.3
- 1991: 46.3
- 1992: 48.3
- 1993: 50.3
- 1994: 49.2
- 1995: 40.3
- 1996: 38.2