HEALTH chiefs today warned of the importance of safe sex after shock figures revealed that the number of new HIV cases in Bolton has doubled.

Last year 53 people were diagnosed with the virus, compared to just 27 in 2004. Most of them contracted the condition - which can eventually develop into AIDS - because they did not use protection during sex.

Thirty-one women account for nearly 60 per cent of the new cases.

And 70 per cent of the 53 new cases were heterosexuals.

Andrew Mulholland, a senior health promotion specialist with Bolton Primary Care Trust, said: "It's disappointing to see an increase in the number of new cases in Bolton.

"These figures act as a stark reminder that HIV and AIDS pose a real danger, with new cases among men and women, hetrosexuals and men who have sex with men.

"It is essential that people protect themselves and minimise risks by practising safe sex and avoiding risky sexual contact."

The statistics have been released by the Centre for Public Health. They show that the total number of people with HIV in Bolton stands at 177, compared to 136 in 2004, an increase of more than 30 per cent.

In the new cases, seven people diagnosed were under 25, there were 27 people aged 25 to 34, with 11 people were aged 35 to 44. Eight people were over 45.

White people made up 20 of the new cases, with black people making up the rest.

There were 37 new cases of heterosexual people having unprotected sex and contracting the virus, 12 cases of men having sex with men, and four people contracted the virus from another source, such as drug use.

The Bolton figures are even more shocking because the North-west rise is just 14 per cent.

Cllr Andy Morgan, chairman of Bolton Council's health scrutiny committee, said: "I'm alarmed at this huge increase. I want more information as to where people with HIV are located in the borough.

"We need to do more to deal with this and I will be taking the issue to the health scrutiny committee as a matter of urgency to determine what needs to be done."

One man who knows how difficult it is to live with HIV is Simon, a happily- married bisexual man, who contracted the virus when he was in his mid-40s following an encounter on holiday.

"People have no idea how bad the stigma is," he said. "I'm very careful who I tell because their reactions can vary wildly.

"I've been lucky because I'm a positive person and I can deal with this, but not everyone's like me.

"People must take responsibility for their own sexual health. HIV and AIDS just doesn't seem to be of concern to a lot of people and that is the really frightening thing."

A total of 928 new cases of HIV were reported in 2005 in the North-west, bringing the total number of people in the region with the virus to 4,195.

The number of people receiving treatment for HIV and AIDS in the North-west has risen by 114 per cent since 2001.

Merseyside has seen the largest percentage increase - 190 per cent - in new cases since 2001, and 119 people were diagnosed last year.

Greater Manchester still has the largest number of total cases, of 2,467 individuals, which is 59 per cent of the North-west total.

Dr Penny Cook, senior lecturer in communicable disease at Liverpool John Moores University, and the maind author of the report, said: "The large number if people living with HIV is a testimony to the effectiveness of modern treatment.

"However, prompt diagnosis is key to leading a healthier life with HIV, so it is important that anyone who thinks they may have been at risk of acquiring HIV receives an HIV test."

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