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SC-2022-2256
24 January 2023
Jai Ganesh
[FYI request #21412 email]
Kia ora Jai
Request for number of deaths from Flu and related
On 20 December 2022, Te Whatu Ora transferred a partial request of yours dated 13 December to Coronial
Information to respond. You requested the number of deaths from the Flu and related (Adenovirus, Flu A
/ B, Rhinovirus) in New Zealand for the period 2016 to 2022. On 11 January 2023 you confirmed that you
are fine with the proposed keyword search and data that we can provide, which is number of deaths
notified to the Coroner between 1 January 2016 to 21 December 2022 broken down by months. The
keywords agreed are “flu”, “influenza”, “adenovirus” and “rhinovirus”.
In response to your request please see attached Table 1.
Table 1 provides the number of deaths where influenza/adenovirus/rhinovirus has been recorded as the
cause of, or contributing to the cause of death, notified to the Coroner between 1 January 2016 and 31
December 2022. Cases are included based on the date the case was notified to the coroner (this can differ
from the date of death). This data includes active cases. Active cases are currently under investigation by
the coroner and are therefore provisional. This data includes closed cases. Closed cases have been heard
by the coroner and findings have been issued.
This data counts instances where one or more of the keywords is recorded in the Medical Cause of Death
1, Medical Cause of Death 2, Medical Cause of Death 3, Medical Cause of Death Secondary, Provisional
Cause of Death or Final Cause of Death fields in the case management system. Keywords searched:
"adenovirus", "rhinovirus", "flu" and "influenza". To find the information you have requested, we searched
key words in the case management system, meaning the search was dependent on the way in which the
information was received and recorded. It is therefore possible that we have not identified all deaths
related to influenza and related viruses.
This data only contains deaths that were notified to the Coroner. There will be many flu-related deaths
that occurred in hospitals where the doctor was able to sign the death certificate without referral to the
Coroner.
This data may differ from previously released or published data. This data was extracted from the case
management system as at 09/01/2023.
I trust this information is helpful to you.
Yours sincerely
Lara Dyer on Behalf of Rani Kandiah
Information Advisor
DDI: 04 918 8332
[email address]
Table 1: Number of deaths where influenza/adenovirus/rhinovirus has been recorded as the cause of, or contributing to the cause of death, notified to the coroner between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2022
Year
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Total
2016
0
0
0
1
1
0
3
1
1
0
0
0
7
2017
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
1
1
1
0
1
6
2018
0
0
0
1
1
2
0
2
4
4
0
0
14
2019
0
0
0
1
1
3
1
0
2
1
1
0
10
2020
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
2021
0
1
0
0
0
0
2
3
0
0
1
0
7
2022
0
0
1
1
2
8
6
2
0
2
0
0
22
Notes:
This data may differ from previously released or published data. This data was extracted from the case management system as at 09/01/2023.
Cases are included based on the date the case was notified to the coroner (this can differ from the date of death).
This data includes active cases. Active cases are currently under investigation by the coroner and are therefore provisional.
This data includes closed cases. Closed cases have been heard by the coroner and findings have been issued.
This data counts instances where one or more of the keywords is recorded in the Medical Cause of Death 1, Medical Cause of Death 2, Medical Cause of Death 3, Medical Cause of Death Secondary,
Provisional Cause of Death or Final Cause of Death fields in the case management system.
Keywords searched: "adenovirus", "rhinovirus", "flu", "influenza"
To find the information you have requested, we searched key words in the case management system, meaning the search was dependent on the way in which the information was received and recorded. It is
therefore possible that we have not identified al deaths related to influenza and related viruses.
Document Outline
