A man who has lived for five years with the AIDS virus has spoken out publicly about his condition in the hope that his action will improve local attitudes towards fellow Bermudians who have also tested HIV positive.

Mr. James Thatcher, 36, who has spent those years as one of Canada's leading AIDS activists, was appointed to the board of Bermuda's new AIDS service organisation, the Allan Vincent Smith Foundation, when he returned home for a short visit last week.

In an emotional appeal to community leaders, Mr. James Thatcher, 36, has asked for an end to "judgemental attitudes'' which, he claims, are at least partly responsible for Bermuda's high death rate from AIDS amongst intravenous drug users.

If Bermuda had adopted a more enlightened policy and issued needle kits and bleach cleaners to these people, many lives would have been saved, he claims.

"In Bermuda, we had a relatively small group of drug users and it spread like wild-fire amongst them. Now we are seeing the tragic downstream of that, because the disease has been passed on to their sexual partners and children.

So the result of that policy has frightening implications,'' says Mr.

Thatcher.

He warns that Bermuda must understand, once and for all, that the spread of AIDS affects everyone and that this is no time for complacency. And although he had high praise for Bermuda's media coverage, he felt that The Royal Gazette headline on World AIDS Day ("New figures reveal drop in AIDS deaths'') gave the impression that the crisis was over.

"It isn't over -- not by a long way,'' he says.

Mr. Thatcher quotes the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) figures, as of July 1992, which take the accumulated number of cases and adjust them to a rate per million.

"Let's forget Africa and other Third World places and compare ourselves with countries that are more like us. Let's take the US and Canada, because we like to think we are as sophisticated as them! The rate for Canada is 246 per million, the US (which has lost more people to AIDS than it did in the Korean War) is 925 per million, but for Bermuda the figure is 3,183 per million. This is appalling!'' Mr. Thatcher, who has a Masters degree in business administration from the University of Western Ontario and went on to become a management consultant in Canada, has devoted his life to working for the AIDS cause since he tested HIV positive in 1987.

He is philosophical about receiving what he terms "a terminal diagnosis'' and says that his life has become far more rewarding since he became an AIDS activist.

"Before, I was making money, but working for others is the most rewarding thing I've ever done. I can see the positive effects of what I am doing.'' Mr. Thatcher says he appreciates being able to do what he wants to do in the time left to him.

"People in my position tend to do some of the things they have always wanted to do but never had the time, like writing a book, or playing the piano!'' He admits "having a reason to go on living'' has helped him come to terms with his illness, adding it is also "useful'' to direct the occasional, inevitable feelings of anger into creative channels.

He notes wryly that he gave up his job to safeguard his health -- and now finds himself working a 40-hour week. Canada, he says, has one of the best health care systems, but he and his group still work with the Ministry of Health in Ontario, attempting to improve access to treatment and care for people with AIDS and HIV. He is frequently invited to appear on national television.

"We try to keep everyone on their toes,'' he says with a laugh. "We don't have an office. We are just a group of volunteers, and if we feel things aren't moving along fast enough, we might have the occasional demo. One time, we handcuffed ourselves to the Minister of Health's door, to get a point across. Most of the time, though, we assist the Government with policy briefs and keep them informed of problems that occur from time to time.'' AIDS sufferers living longer From Page 25 One of these, ironically, arises from the fact that, although there is still no cure in sight, people with AIDS are living longer.

"If your T4 cells register 200, that's a clinical definition of AIDS, and I had that on my very first test. The doctors suggested that I wouldn't be around too long, but it's now been five years and the difference is that I was able to take combination therapy.'' Besides the benefits of the drug AZT, Mr. Thatcher cites a new drug that combats pneumonia. Whereas about 87 percent of people died as a result of pneumonia, thanks to this drug the figure has dropped to about 20 percent.

But, he says, because people are living longer, overall health still declines and a whole new group of opportunistic infections seem to be surfacing.

Although treatments are available for some of these, costs can be very high, sometimes as high as $1,000 per day for drugs that have to be administered intravenously.

Mr. Thatcher believes that the response to the AIDS crisis in Bermuda has improved "after a slow start''. Noting that initially people could only turn to STAR, he was encouraged by the opening of the hospice.

"Now, we are finally getting some prominent Bermudians involved, what with the new foundation, and Sandys Rotary organising a big concert and reception at Government House to raise money for an AIDS education fund.'' He also says that Health Minister the Hon. Quinton Edness is "very keen to receive as much information and help as possible on the care and health for long-term survivors''.

Asked how people react on learn ing that he has AIDS, Mr. Thatcher says that he has been pleasantly surprised.

"I thought people might shy away, or have a negative reaction. But I've found that people want to know all about it. Since I came back here I've met a lot of people I hadn't seen for a long time, and once they got over the initial awkwardness, or shock, they get very chatty!'' He is grateful for the support of his family. "My mother was talking the other day about AIDS as being the particular plague of this generation and she was saying we lost so many people in the First World War, then it was TB, and then it was World War Two where half the RAF were wiped out. Now this.'' Mr. Thatcher says although he does not have an "organised faith'', he feels he is living in a Christian way, helping others to the best of his ability and "trying not to be judgemental''.

While he would not support mandatory testing for HIV in Bermuda, Mr. Thatcher is in favour of mandatory reporting and urges those who feel at risk to be tested.

"The earlier you get tested, the earlier you get treatment, and the earlier you get treatment, the longer you will live -- and stop risky behaviour.'' Asked what his most important message was, Mr. Thatcher shakes his head and replies, "I just want people here to get involved in this war. And if people would stop being so judgemental it would help to save lives. AIDS affects us all and it's time Bermuda faced up to that. We're making great strides but Bermuda is still a long way behind in terms of acceptance. We have to accept that Bermuda has this problem and get on with the business of saving lives -- and for that, we have to do whatever it takes.'' He plans to return to the Island for Christmas.

"Now that I've been invited on the board of the Foundation, I hope to be coming home much more often and to bring whatever expertise I can. Sometimes, only those of us who have AIDS can understand the very practical problems that we face.'' CHANGING ATTITUDES -- Mr. James Thatcher, who has just joined the board of Bermuda's new AIDS service organisation, the Allan Vincent Smith Foundation.