§ Mr. DicksTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how much Government money has been spent on HIV/AIDS awareness and related campaigns over the past five years; and how many HIV/AIDS cases have been diagnosed during that period.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe table sets out the allocations from April 1988 onwards to the health education authority (HEA) towards the development of HIV and AIDS related public awareness and education initiatives. These amounts include the contributions towards the costs of the National AIDS Helpline and related telephone information services. Not shown in the tables are the amounts spent by other Government Departments on HIV prevention work within their own spheres of interest.
Between 1985–86 and 1992–93 the Government have allocated over £73 million to the development of the national AIDS public education campaign. Over and above this, since 1989–90 contributions have been made towards the additional costs incurred by regional and district health authorities in the development of local HIV prevention initiatives. For 1992–93 these amount to £21 million.
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Education HEA/helpline Year £ million 1988–89 10.00 1989–90 12.00 1990–91 10.00 1991–92 11.00 1992–93 11.225 The number of HIV/AIDS cases diagnosed for the five year period within the United Kingdom is as follows:
1988 to the end of March 1992–4,574 AIDS cases.1988 to the end of March 1992–9,141 HIV infected persons.
§ Mr. DicksTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what study has been undertaken of the similarity between the type of birth control practised in some parts of Africa and known homosexual behaviour, and the implications of this for the increase in HIV/AIDS among heterosexuals in Africa and homosexuals elsewhere.
§ Mr. SackvilleI will write to my hon. Friend with the information that he requests as soon as it is available.
§ Mr. DicksTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what forecasts were made by her Department for the number of heterosexuals likely to be affected by the HIV/AIDS virus in each of the past five years; and what were the actual numbers so affected, excluding drug users and the suffering from contaminated blood.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe Day report, "Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome in England and Wales" estimated that at the end of 1988 between 13,000 and 26,000 individuals were infected with HIV and that between 750 and 3,750 had been infected through sexual intercourse between men and women. Up to the end of March 1992, 1,769 cases of HIV infection acquired through heterosexual intercourse had been reported to the communicable disease surveillance centre. This underestimates the true level of infection as only those who recognise themselves to be at risk will seek a test. The Day report did not make predictions for individual years for HIV infected persons.
§ Mr. DicksTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of those affected by the HIV/AIDS virus over the past five years have been known to be(a) homosexual and (b) heterosexual, excluding drug users and those suffering from contaminated blood.
§ Mr. SackvilleBy the end of March 1992 there had been a cumulative total of 15,501 newly diagnosed HIV-1 infected persons in England, Wales and Northern Ireland reported to the communicable disease surveillance centre (all exposure categories combined) since the HIV test became available in 1984. This number may considerably underestimate the total number infected in certain exposure categories because in order to have their infection diagnosed infected persons must recognise their risk, present for an HIV-1 test and agree to have a test after pre-test counselling. A detailed breakdown is contained in the following table 12 from the AIDS/HIV Quarterly Surveillance Tables (No. 15, Data to end of March 1992).
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Table 12 Trends in exposure category distribution (per cent.) of HIV-1 infected persons Reported to 31 March 1992 England. Wales and Northern Ireland Sexual intercourse Year of report Between men Between men and women Injecting drug use1 Mother to infant Sub total 100% Blood2 Other/undetermined Grand total Male Female NS Male Female NS Male Female NS To end 1985 1,400 19 12 4 51 20 — 3 1,509 649 139 6 14 2,317 (93) (2) (5) (<1) 1986 1608 40 49 1 169 69 2 8 1,946 361 114 7 3 2,431 (83) (5) (12) (<1) 1987 1,552 86 104 1 204 101 — 5 2,053 106 102 3 9 2,283 (76) (9) (15) (<1) 1988 1,070 86 93 1 149 66 2 12 1,479 55 108 12 5 1,659 (72) (12) (15) (1) 1989 1,120 111 120 1 156 42 — 13 1,563 40 87 25 3 1,718 (72) (15) (13) (1) 1990 1,438 181 195 1 169 42 1 29 2,056 92 46 11 6 2,211 (70) (18) (11) (1) 1991 1,539 262 277 4 155 60 — 23 2,320 26 62 31 1 2,440 (66) (23) (9) (1) 31992 256 56 63 2 29 5 — 1 412 6 21 2 1 442 (62) (29) (8) (<1) Total 9,983 841 913 15 1,082 405 5 94 13,338 1,335 679 107 42 15,501 (75) (13) (11) (1) 1 Includes 199 male drug users who had sex with other men. 2 Includes 239 children aged 14 years or less. 3 1992 1st quarter.