The seasonal influenza burden survey in China, led by the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Department of China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, selected the data of eight cities with high quality in China's death registration, and estimated the influenza-related excess mortality rate in China for the first time. The survey results show that from 2003 to 2008, the annual unnatural death rate caused by influenza in three cities in the north and five cities in the south of China was 6.5438+10,000 population 18, and that in southern cities was 6.5438+10,000 population 165.438+0.3. The unnatural death rate caused by respiratory and circulatory diseases caused by influenza is 0/2.4 per 654.38+10,000 population in northern cities and 8.8 per 654.38+10,000 population in southern cities.
Studies have shown that the excess mortality rate in China is similar to that in Europe, America and subtropical regions, and more than 86% of influenza-related excess deaths occur in people aged 65 and over; Different from the research in the United States and Hong Kong, influenza A (H3N2) in the United States and Hong Kong has the highest proportion of deaths, and more than half of the excess deaths in China are related to influenza B virus. Experts said that the excess mortality rate refers to the difference between the expected mortality rate and the actual mortality rate. These data show that the popular view that "China people are not prone to influenza" is incorrect, and the public does not know enough about the harm of influenza.
This study is the first step of a series of applied research work such as the burden of influenza disease in China, which provides important information for the formulation and improvement of influenza prevention and control strategies in China, especially providing direct evidence for suggesting that the elderly should give priority to influenza vaccination.