Coronavirus and HIV/AIDS account for the highest number of claimants receiving the disability benefit
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has published a list of eight infectious diseases that can qualify people for Personal Independence Payment (Pip), which is worth up to around £458 a month.
More than 3.7 million people across England and Wales were receiving Pip as of April 2026, with the benefit helping to cover the extra costs associated with long-term health conditions, disabilities and mental health conditions.
Pip is tax-free and is not means-tested, meaning entitlement is not affected by income, employment or savings.
Among the infectious diseases on the DWP's list, coronavirus and HIV/AIDS account for the highest number of claimants.
Covid is the most common infectious disease recorded under PIP, with 6,163 people receiving the benefit.
HIV/AIDS follows with 5,627 claimants. The remaining conditions account for significantly fewer awards.
Viral diseases of other or unknown types, excluding hepatitis and poliomyelitis, account for 975 claimants.
Bacterial diseases of other or unknown types account for 824 claimants. Tuberculosis is recorded for 640 claimants.
Infectious diseases classified as other or unknown types account for 596 claimants. Malaria is recorded for nine claimants.
Protozoal diseases of other or unknown types have the fewest recipients, with six claimants.
The figures highlight the range of infectious diseases recognised within the PIP assessment process, although entitlement is based on how a condition affects a person's daily living and mobility rather than the diagnosis itself.
PIP is made up of two components: a daily living component and a mobility component.
Following the DWP's January 2026 uprating, which increased benefit rates by 3.8 per cent in line with inflation, the weekly standard rate for the daily living component is £76.70.
The mobility component pays £30.30 a week at the standard rate and £80.00 a week at the enhanced rate.
Someone awarded both enhanced components would receive £194.60 a week, which is equivalent to around £458 a month.
To qualify for Pip, applicants must be aged 16 or over and have a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability.
They must also experience difficulties with everyday activities or moving around, with those difficulties expected to last for at least 12 months from when they began.
The DWP assesses how a person's condition affects their ability to complete a range of daily living and mobility activities when deciding eligibility.
Unlike some other benefits, PIP is not affected by whether someone is working, studying or has savings.
The benefit is designed to help people meet the additional costs that can arise from living with a long-term health condition or disability, including those whose symptoms stem from qualifying infectious diseases.
