FAKE NEWS? Claims that the heat in the UK is to blame for the rise in extra deaths in the UK is NOT supported by the data according to Nick Stripe deputy director of health analysis at the UK ONS
(Office of National Statistics).
Daily Express headline reads " UK heatwave turns KILLER: 1000 more people die this summer than average as temp soar". The Mirror claims "nearly 1000 more Brits than average have died since start of record summer heatwave".
However a report in the Press Gazette by Sam Forsdick 7 August 2018 disputes that conclusion. The Express and Mirror fake news? Nick Stripe reports that the provisional weekly death figures released are based on the date the deaths were registered not the date each person died. Registrations can be delayed by months(for example when referred to a coroner). The 1000 figure referred to by the Express and the Mirror could include those that happened weeks or months before the summer heatwave started. A much higher number of deaths above the 5 year average was recorded in the previous three years. In 2015 there were 3516 more deaths across June and July.
"Lies, damned lies and statistics"? famous quote from Mark Twain attributed to UK prime minister Benjamin Disraeli.
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