§ Lord McNairasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many people in the United Kingdom suffer from AIDS, how many are known to be HIV positive, how many are estimated to be HIV positive, what is the average duration from the onset of AIDS to death, what are the medications of choice, what is the annual cost to the NHS of these medications and of hospitalisation for such patients per patient and how many days' work are lost due to this condition, as an annual total.
§ Baroness CumberlegeIt is estimated that at the end of 1995 there were 3,725 people living with AIDS in the United Kingdom. Since 1984, when reporting began, the cumulative total of diagnosed HIV infections reported in the UK is 25,689. It is estimated that at the end of 1993 there were about 24,000 individuals living with diagnosed or undiagnosed HIV infection. It has been estimated that 50 per cent. of AIDS cases survive 18 months or more after AIDS diagnosis. The choice of medication is for the individual clinician and patient to decide. Estimated medication cost per AIDS patient (at 1995–96 prices) is £10,000. The annual average cost of hospital treatment of an AIDS patient is in the region of £21,000 and costs vary from hospital to hospital. We do not have any information on work days lost due to AIDS.