Viral Diseases: Research
(asked on 18th June 2015) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2015 to Question 740, if he will commission comparative research into the incidence of hepatitis B and HIV infection in (a) the national population, (b) the population of men who have sex with men and (c) men in a civil partnership or married to a man.
Data on new HIV infections in the United Kingdom are routinely collected through both laboratory submissions and clinic reports as part of ongoing surveillance and are available for the national population and the population of men who have sex with men (MSM). The publically available ‘HIV in the United Kingdom: 2014 Report’ contains data on HIV incidence estimates amongst the national population and MSM. This is available at:
There are no plans at the present time to commission research into incidence of HIV in men in a civil partnership or married to a man.
For the national population, population-based surveillance of acute hepatitis B in England is based on reconciliation of clinical notifications and laboratory reports, for which figures are reported in the Health Protection Report annually. This is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/348576/hpr3314_hbv13.pdf
Data are not collected specifically on MSM or men in a civil partnership or married to a man. However, where possible, the most likely route of transmission is recorded following investigation of each case, such as whether the exposure risk relates to sexual activity. There are no plans at the present time to commission new research into infection incidence in MSM, men in a civil partnership or married to a man.