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Between 10 April and 27 April, published rolling-average case rates for COVID-19 were incorrect due to an error in population estimates used to calculate these metrics. As of 4pm on 28 April, these have been corrected. More information.

BackEntry title:

Lead exposure in children Average Case Detection Rate by Age and Sex in England

Last updated on Thursday, 24 April 2025 at 02:40pm

Summary

Topic
Lead
Category
headline
API name
lead_headline_ratesByAgeSex

Rationale

Understanding the Lead Exposure in Children Surveillance System (LEICSS) cases sex and age distribution in the context of the wider English population distribution.

Definition

These data represent the average case age and sex-specific detection rate per million children aged 0 to 15 years in England from 2015 to 2023.

Methodology

The average detection rate is calculated from the average age and sex-specific LEICSS cases from 2015 to 2023 as the numerator, and the denominator is the Office for National Statistics (ONS) mid-year estimate of the sex-specific 0- to 15-year-old population from 2015 to 2023.

Caveats

The child's age is calculated based on the date entered in the Case Management System (CIMS) and the recorded date of birth. Cases with an unknown gender are not included. These data should not be interpreted as an estimation of the total new number of children in England who have elevated blood lead exposure. These data are collected from a passive surveillance system therefore represent an underestimation of lead exposure in children in England. The geographical variation in the data is more likely to represent variation in case identification rather than reflecting true regional variation in lead exposure in the population.

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