the AIDS virus.

The reaction contrasted starkly with Britain where Dr. Peter Clayton had also worked while HIV-infected.

Hundreds of people flooded hotlines set up by Mid Glamorgan Health Authority in Wales.

And the British Government ordered a urgent review of guidelines for medical staff thought to be HIV positive.

The case of the junior doctor, who died in October from AIDS, has been given massive publicity in the UK.

Married Dr. Clayton spent two years working in a South Wales hospital and a GP's surgery.

Health chiefs learned of his condition when he died, aged 28. But they withheld the news from former patients until an anonymous tip-off to a local newspaper.

Bermuda's low-key response has surprised British journalists who have phoned The Royal Gazette .

Here, worried ex-patients of Dr. Clayton were told to telephone the Hospitals ombudsman, Mr. Aldwin Savery.

By late yesterday afternoon Mr. Savery had received three calls from people seeking reassurance. This contrasted with more than 350 in Mid Glamorgan in the morning.

He added blood tests were one option open to allay fears.

"I don't know whether the people who rang will be taking this up,'' Mr.

Savery said.

"I did not get a sense of panic from those who rang. They were very reasonable and understanding.'' He continued: "I'm not surprised by the small response. AIDS has received wide publicity, and most people realise it is not a disease that can be caught easily.

"The message is getting across. Education is the key.'' Mr. Savery said there were two main ways of catching the virus -- through sexual contact, and bodily fluids, including blood.

Executive director of Bermuda Hospitals Board, Mr. Hume Martin, praised the reaction of local people.

"It shows the Bermudian public has a good sense of the minimal risk of contracting HIV,'' he said.

Mr. Martin said Dr. Clayton, a resident medical officer at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital from August 1, 1990-July 31 1991, had posed an almost non-existent risk to patients in Bermuda.

His duties included diagnosis, prescription, starting intravenous drips, and taking blood samples. He would have been wearing gloves.

After being tested HIV positive in Bermuda, Dr. Clayton continued to work from March to July 1991.

A keen guitar player and singer, he is remembered here as a likable and quietly spoken man.

Mr. Martin said health chiefs were sure Dr. Clayton did not contract HIV in Bermuda.

"We are convinced he already had it when he came here from Britain.'' Mr. Martin dismissed British tabloid speculation Dr. Clayton may have been infected during a nose operation in Bermuda.

And he was lukewarm over the idea of mandatory AIDS testing of medical staff.

Yesterday Shadow Health Minister Mr. Nelson Bascome said he accepted Dr.

Clayton had not jeopardised his patients health.

But he voiced support for doctors informing patients if they were HIV-infected.

"I think it would be up to them to ensure they don't scare their patients away,'' he said.