§ Ms PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many babies born in each of the last five years were found at birth to be HIV positive; what percentage remained HIV positive one and a half years later; and if she will make a statement on HIV in the new-born.
§ Mr. SackvilleBetween the beginning of 1989 and October 1993, 235 children born in England have been recognised at or after their birth as born to an HIV-infected woman. HIV infection has been confirmed in 76 of these and 49 are known to be uninfected. The infection status of the remaining 110 has not yet been resolved. However, the figures do not provide a reliable guide to the transmission rate as they do not cover all women who are HIV positive, but only those who were already known to be so, or whose status was recognised retrospectively as a result of the child developing symptoms. It is generally accepted that the proportion of infants born to HIV-infected women who are infected themselves is best estimated from prospective studies such as the European collaborative study, which estimates the transmission rate at 14 per cent.
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