Flu and heat caused more deaths in 2022

The crude mortality rate for 2022 was 972 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. The age-adjusted rate was 1.6 percent higher than in 2021 and 8.2% less than in 2020. The excess deaths, the report states, were due to the increase in deaths in people aged 85 and older. . In this age group, the excess deaths were much higher than the decrease that occurred among people between 25 and 84.

But the document highlights that the seasonal pattern by which the greatest number of deaths occur during winter compared to summer was not observed in 2022. Deaths in the summer months, especially in July, were “relatively high” compared to the months winter, the report points out. Thus, deaths in June and July 2022 were 14% and 26.1% higher respectively compared to the same months a year ago.

The report thus alludes to the second epidemic wave of flu and the heat. According to the State Meteorological Agency, the document continues, the period between June 1 and August 31, 2022 was very warm and the summer itself was the warmest of the 21st century, with three heat waves. This pattern was also observed in countries such as Germany, Switzerland or Italy, with excess deaths from heat waves.

Precisely in most European countries, a decrease in life expectancy was observed in 2022 compared to the previous year. The increase in the mortality rate in Spain was higher than that of Sweden but lower than that of Denmark, Norway or Finland, the report highlights.

Cancer or heart disease

The main causes of death in 2022 in Spain were cancer, heart disease, Covid-19, cerebrovascular diseases and Alzheimer’s. These, along with ten others such as unintentional accidents, pneumonia or suicide, were responsible for three quarters of all deaths, specifically 74.1 percent of the total deaths.

The report also includes deaths associated with tobacco and alcohol consumption. Thus, it is estimated that in 2022 there were 94,265 deaths in Spain related to smoking, of which 22,427 were due to lung cancer, 289 more than in 2021. Regarding alcohol, there were 26,474 deaths associated with its consumption.

Regarding infant mortality, in 2022 there were 869 deaths of children under 1 year of age, a figure similar to that of 2021. A fifth of these deaths correspond to congenital malformations, deformities and chromosomal anomalies. The infant mortality rate has decreased by 35.3% so far this century.

No common flu plan

In addition to the heat, the report emphasizes the impact of the flu on mortality. Its publication coincides with the exchange of reproaches between the ministry and the autonomies for the rejection of the Health plan to face the respiratory virus season and avoid the collapse of health care. Among other things, as ABC announced, the department headed by Mónica García provided for the use of masks in certain spaces in scenarios where the incidence of respiratory viruses was high. But at the Public Health Commission that took place last October, the general directors of the regions did not give their approval, considering that it needed technical improvements.

Recently, both Minister García and the Secretary of State for Health, Javier Padilla, have referred to this rejection by the autonomies. «The technicians of the autonomous communities endorsed our plan against the flu, but the PP has preferred to put confrontation before health. The irresponsibility is enormous. We are not going to allow a health collapse that can be prevented,” said the minister on her ‘X’ account. His number two, for his part, also emphasized the social network that the document was prepared by technicians from the ministry and the communities. «It was the first time that common performance indicators were established. The winter plans of the communities do not have this type of indicators, they address other things,” he pointed out and also announced that, despite the rejection, the plan would also see the light of day as “recommendations” so that those autonomies that want to can apply it.

The Community of Madrid, one of those that was against this plan, alleges that the region already has contingency plans against the flu, like many other communities and has stated this to the ministry on repeated occasions. Health, regional sources point out, “what it does with its interference is worsen the situation since it introduces a proposal without a scientific basis or effective measures to protect the population or to reduce healthcare pressure.”