So you can literally catch your death of cold?
Yes, failure to wrap up warm outdoors and lack of adequate heating indoors leads to a range of conditions, including circulatory diseases such as coronary thrombosis, bronchitis, pneumonia and influenza. Although media attention has traditionally focused on flu as a winter killer, recent research in the British Medical Journal says it accounts for just 2.4% of excess winter deaths.Who dies of cold, and how many?
Around 20,000 more people died of cold-related ailments in the winter months of 2000-01 than in the summer months in the UK, according the charity Age Concern. This figure - called "excess winter deaths" - is down from around 44,000 the previous winter. The majority of victims are over 75 years old.
Why the big dip?
The winter months of 2000-01 were extraordinarily mild compared to the previous year. It is estimated that the number of elderly people dying increases for every degree that the temperature falls below 20C. Government policies such as flu immunisation campaigns and winter fuel payments may also have helped make a difference.
Where are people most likely to die from the cold?
Help the Aged says the highest number of excess deaths in the winter of 2000-01 occurred in the north-west of England, while the lowest number of excess deaths was recorded in the north-east - however, no obvious explanation exists for this east-west discrepancy. Research by the University of London in 2000 claimed that over 25,000 people in the capital die from the effects of cold weather every year - the worst figures in Europe.
Why are UK winter mortality figures so bad?
There is an inverse law in operation that holds that the warmer the country, the more susceptible its population to death from the cold. In London there are over 10 times as many deaths from the cold than in Finland, but Finland is twice as cold. The same principle applies to Siberia - where winter mortality is low - and to Greece, where it is high. "Those in cold climates are very careful at avoiding exposure to the cold," says academic Professor William Keatinge of the University of London, adding, "Those in London or Athens do not take it seriously."
What social measures would curb excess winter deaths?
Better housing provision and help with insulation, financial help with fuel bills to ensure elderly people can afford to heat their homes and greater uptake of flu vaccines. Elderly people in the UK tend to live in the oldest houses, which are hardest to heat, have the worst insulation and lowest energy efficiency ratings. Around 77% of pensioners are "fuel poor" - meaning they spend £700-800 a year less than they should to achieve adequate warmth. Public transport operators have been urged to provide better protection from the cold for waiting passengers at bus stops and railway stations.
What is the government doing about it?
There are various initiatives, ranging from house modernisation programmes to winter fuel payments for pensioners. The Department of Health has been running a flu immunisation campaign, whereby all over-65s are offered a flu jab by their GP. The target is to vaccinate 70% of all people over 65 years of age.
What can individuals do to beat the cold?
Age Concern offers a number of tips to elderly and vulnerable people on combatting cold:
· Wrap up warmly when going outside - wear a woolly hat as a seventh of body heat is lost through the head - and wear insoles in shoes;
· Keep your room heated at a constant 21C or 70 F;
· Have a hot meal at least once a day, and make yourself lots of hot drinks;
· Keep active - even light indoor exercise such as climbing the stairs;
· Check out entitlement to state benefits and find out if grants for help with heating are available;
· Get a flu vaccination from your GP.
