Ref. 30043-17THE Terrence Higgins Trust has opened a support centre in Swindon to help cope with the town's rising number of HIV cases.

The charity will offer advice and counselling to around 100 HIV-infected people in the borough.

Doctors believe sex tourism is to blame for a six-fold increase in HIV diagnoses in the past five years.

Many new cases are picked up by men sleeping with infected prostitutes in places like Thailand, where the virus is rife.

Around half the cases in Swindon are in gay men, while the rest are heterosexuals of both genders. Hardly any are drug addicts.

Counsellor Donna Stevens, who is running the new branch at the Shaftesbury Centre, in Percy Street, Even Swindon, said HIV patients can feel isolated, and still feel stigmatised.

To combat this, the charity runs a buddy scheme, whereby volunteers befriend patients, offering support and companionship.

She said: "Many people don't want to tell their friends or families they are HIV positive because they are worried about the reaction it will provoke.

"The result is that they have no one to talk to.

"Many older people have negative attitudes, partly caused by the Don't Die Of Ignorance campaign of the mid-80s, which I think scared a lot of people.

"I know a lot of young people who have been thrown out by parents who don't want anything to do with them anymore." Ms Stevens said most HIV patients lived perfectly normal lives.

"Many people don't develop AIDS, and, with medication, lead fulfilling, rewarding lives.

"They have a healthy sex life, using condoms, and can have children through IV treatment."

Patients will be referred from the Great Western Hospital's sexual health clinic which diagnoses 10 to 15 new cases year and there will also be a drop-in service.

The branch is open all day on Tuesdays and between 9am and noon on Wednesdays and Thurs-days.For more information, call Donna on 01793 554825.

FACT FILE ON THE VIRUS

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, which is the agent that can lead to AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

Being HIV positive is not the same as having AIDS, and many people can live with the virus for years without suffering side effects.

The virus is usually spread through unprotected sex or through drug addicts sharing needles. It can be passed through blood, semen, vaginal fluids and breast milk, but not through urine, sweat, saliva or by touch.

There are about 30,000 people with HIV in the UK, a third of whom don't know they are infected.

Full-blown AIDS means the body cannot fight infection and becomes weaker and weaker, and becomes more susceptible to illnesses such as pneumonia and thrombosis.

There is no cure for AIDS, but combination therapy introduced in 1996 can significantly slow the effect of HIV on the body.

Tamash Lal