§ Mr. ButlerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the latest information he has on the percentage of pregnant women in England who are HIV-positive.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe latest published information on the percentage of pregnant women in England who are HIV seropositive is based on a study of the prevalence of infection in newborn babies. The work was published in theLancet on 3 March 1990. A total of 114,515 babies born in North East Thames, North West Thames and South West Thames were tested.
Of the babies born in inner London, 0.49 per 1000 showed evidence of maternal infection. For outer London the rate was 0.33 per 1000, and for babies born outside London the rate was 0.04 per 1000. The overall rate was 0.24 per 1000.
Further information will become available in 1991 from the unlinked anonymous HIV prevalence monitoring programme, which will include samples from 120,000 women attending ante-natal clinics in 40 health districts.