HEALTH organisations and charities say it is important for individuals to be responsible for their own sexual health.

Figures released by the support organisation Body Positive Dorset show that almost two-thirds of all new diagnosed cases of HIV in Dorset are among heterosexuals.

New cases of people being diagnosed with HIV are continuing to rise in Dorset.

In 2002, Body Positive had 198 people registered and this figure rose by 32 in 2003, 40 in 2004, 50 in 2005 and 30 last year.

It is believed there are more people who haven't sought help and those who don't realise they are infected.

Body Positive Dorset director Barbara Heffernan said: "HIV awareness is really important and we need to increase the education that we provide to school children, colleges and universities.

"We are all responsible for our own sexual health.

"A lot of the people we are seeing didn't ever think it would happen to them.

"Until we can make people realise it might and probably will happen to you they are not going to take safe sex seriously."

Pat Wharton, health advisor in G U Medicine at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, said: "It is really important that people take responsibility for their own health, especially when they feel they have put themselves at risks to sexually transmitted infections, including testing for HIV."

FACTFILE

  • HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus and infects and gradually destroys an infected person's immune system, reducing their protection against infection and cancers;
  • Initially, someone living with HIV may show no symptoms of HIV infection as their immune system manages to control it. However, in most cases their immune system will need help from anti-HIV drugs to keep the HIV infection under control. These drugs do not completely rid the body of HIV infection;
  • Around 71,000 cases of HIV have been reported since the early 1980s;
  • 16,049 people with HIV have died since the early 1980s;
  • There were 7,275 new diagnoses in 2004 and it's estimated that the total number of new diagnoses for 2005 will be around 7,750;
  • In 2004, it was estimated that 34 per cent of people living with HIV did not know about their infection;
  • Men living with HIV outnumber women who have HIV by 2:1.