Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2007/iii/paper-46/2/c/solution

Define the difference as control minus intervention, positive for fewer deaths under intervention assignment. The observed difference per thousand is
For independent binomial distributions, its unpooled standard error per thousand is
The approximate 95% confidence interval is therefore
The rare-event Poisson standard error gives almost the same interval. A reduction of 1.5 per thousand is consistent with the data, since it lies inside the interval. Zero also lies inside, so a nonzero benefit is not established at the two-sided 5% significance level. This does not establish equivalence or prove the proposed effect size, and cannot by itself establish treatment contamination.

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