§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services why he has not yet replied to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, North-East's letter dated 20 November concerning the request for £10,000 for the development of a computer-aided-decision taking system for AIDS (CADETS) by the district medical officer for north Warwickshire in conjunction with Warwick university; and if he will reply forthwith.
§ Mr. NewtonMy noble Friend replied to the hon. Member on 21 January 1987.
§ Mr. Marlowasked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects to provide a full reply to the question of the hon. Member for Northampton, North about AIDS to which a holding reply was given on 12 December, Official Report, column 294.
§ Mr. NewtonI replied to my hon. Friend on 20 January 1987.
§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what evidence he has that the AIDS virus is transmitted in semen and vaginal fluid; and what evidence he has that the AIDS virus is not transmitted during the exchange of saliva in kissing.
§ Mr. NewtonThere is good epidemiological evidence that the great majority of cases of infection with HIV (the AIDS virus) have occurred following penetrative sexual718W intercourse; virtually all the remaining cases have been associated with injections of infected blood, blood products or injecting drug misues. This evidence does not support transmission of infection through kissing. Non-sexual family contacts of infected people have not contracted the infection, in spite of kissing.
Transmission of infection has occurred following artificial insemination of infected semen: in this instance no form of direct contact between the subjects concerned took place.
The reasons for our advice on kissing are given in my reply to the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) on 19 December 1986 at column 783.