§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the percentage change in the number of HIV positive cases has been over the last five years. [52225]
§ Ms JowellThe number of new HIV diagnoses reported each year has remained constant at about 2,500 but the number of deaths among people with HIV infection has fallen, especially since the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy. This increasing life expectancy means that the number of HIV-infected people in the population has increased but data are not available to calculate the percentage change.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the percentage change in the number of HIV-positive cases in the next five years. [52228]
§ Ms JowellProjections for AIDS cases and severe HIV disease for 1995 to 1999 were published in November 1995 and work is currently under way to evaluate the effect on these projections of introducing combination therapy.
373W
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have been unable to take up places in HIV wards in the United Kingdom over the last five years owing to a lack of beds. [52438]
§ Ms JowellThe Department is aware that the length of in patient stays needed by people with HIV/AIDS has been declining since the introduction of combination therapies. The Department does not have any evidence that any patient with HIV has been denied in-patient treatment because of a lack of beds.
§ Laura MoffattTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of advances in drug treatments for people with HIV/AIDS; and what plans he has to introduce drug resistance testing for people with HIV/AIDS to ensure that new drug treatments are used as cost effectively as possible across the whole of the United Kingdom. [52300]
§ Ms JowellWe are aware of the continued success of combination therapies in the treatment of people with HIV/AIDS, in that the onset of symptoms is delayed, more people are being managed on an out patient basis and the number of deaths has fallen. The latest surveillance data show that the numbers of deaths from HIV/AIDS in the United Kingdom have declined since 1995 and this decline in deaths has accelerated with the introduction of combination therapies in 1996. Between 1995 and 1997, the numbers of deaths fell by nearly two thirds, from 1533 to 525, in men and by nearly a half, from 234 to 125, in women.
The issue of testing for drug resistance—as are all the complicated issues around the prescribing and monitoring of combination therapies—is one for the physician in discussion with the patient. The current clinical guidelines on the use of combination therapies, issued by the British HIV Association, contain guidance in the event of drug failure due to resistance, and how best to avoid this. The Department continues to monitor developments in drug treatment and draws such guidelines to the attention of health authorities in the annual guidance circular on HIV/AIDS.