ten months of the year, compared to the same period last year.

But statistics released yesterday by the Health Department showed that the disease has claimed 175 lives since Bermuda's first AIDS-related death in 1982.

And as of October 31, 213 AIDS cases had been reported locally.

Between January and October this year, 14 new cases were reported to the Health Department and there were 17 deaths, compared to 22 cases and 23 deaths during the same period in 1991.

Most of the 213 AIDS cases involved those in the 20-49 year age group, with one case reported in the 1-4 year age group. Eight cases involved people 60-years-old or over.

Males and intravenous drug users still make up the largest group of reported cases. Males account for 78.9 percent of all reported cases.

But the percentage of cases occurring in drug users has declined to 49.3 percent or 105 cases.

Homosexual/bisexual men make up 58 cases and sexual partners of heterosexual persons account for 39 cases.

The statistics come as the Island is set to observe the fifth annual World AIDS Day today.

The day, which is the only international day of coordinated action against AIDS, is aimed at stimulating discussion and action about the disease and enhancing community support for HIV/AIDS programmes.

With this year's theme being "AIDS: A Community Commitment'', communities across the Island have been invited to meet at City Hall for a ceremony marking the day.

Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan will officially endorse the day at 1 p.m. when he reads the World AIDS Day proclamation.

A six-by-ten foot AIDS Memorial Quilt will also be on display.

The quilt is made up of patches of messages sewn together by those who have lost loved ones to the deadly disease.

An opera concert will also be held at St. John's Church in Pembroke tonight to raise money for Sandys Rotary Club's AIDS education fund.

Organisers of the concert, entitled "A Classical Response to AIDS'', are hoping the $100 tickets will be snapped up by at least 300 people since the minimum amount needed to establish the fund is $300,000.

Governor Lord Waddington and Lady Waddington will host a reception at Government House prior to the concert.

These events are just a few of many scheduled this week to focus on AIDS.

Some 30 church leaders and community group members took part in a seminar, at Cathedral Hall last Saturday, on pastoral care for people living with AIDS.

And ministers and residents throughout the Island gathered at the Anglican Cathedral on Sunday night to take part in an ecumenical/candlelight service in memory of those who have lost their lives to AIDS.

Yesterday the Health Department also began a three-day forum for teens at the BIU's Dr. E.F. Gordon Hall.

The forum, called "Who Says You Have To'', drew close to 100 students from Bermuda Institute, Devon Lane, and Mount St. Agnes Academy.

The students agreed with the message that "trust and communication is a good foundation for a relationship, not sex''.

And they were not shy about sharing the lessons of wisdom they have learned in their short lives with each other, health officials, and moderator Mrs. Tina Evans Caines.

They were also encouraged by the drug-free teen group, Youth to Youth, to say "no'' to negative peer pressure and to build their self-esteem.

ENLIGHTENING BERMUDA -- Relatives and friends of those in Bermuda who have lost their lives to AIDS gathered at the Anglican Cathedral on Sunday night where they lit 175 candles in memory of the dead. They were urged not to let the community forget or desecrate their loved ones' names.