see so many red ribbons sprouting on Bermudian chests. The distribution of these ribbons to promote AIDS awareness is both humane and constructive.

Mrs. Joan Dillas Wright, the chairperson of the Health Department-sponsored World AIDS Day Committee, has said: "No longer can we be complacent or discriminatory. The time to act is now. It is time to make education and prevention our top priority.'' She is absolutely correct of course.

We have to get to the young people and convince them of the advantages of abstinence and safe sex. We have to be real and honest or the message will fail. We have to understand that while abstinence or one faithful sex partner may be desirable, sex is a reality and it is unrealistic to think the young will not engage in sex. They will and when they do they need protection. We think that means the free and open distribution of condoms in schools and places of entertainment. We have nothing but praise for the Rev. Canon Arnold Hollis' brave stand on condoms.

Bermuda has a serious AIDS problem. That is reality. Yet people hide behind the "not me, not mine'' excuse and prefer to believe that AIDS is still a disease of IV drug abusers, gays, Haitians and unlucky recipients of tainted blood transfusions.

It should be possible in a small place like Bermuda to convince people of the realities of AIDS. There must be very few locals who have not known an AIDS victim. In a Country where the spread of AIDS has not been typical or largely among gay men, it should be possible to convince heterosexuals that AIDS is their disease. The truth is that Bermuda has a bad AIDS problem which we tend to try to ignore.

To their credit public organisations and some notable individuals are doing their part to make education and prevention a top priority. The Allan Vincent Smith Foundation is hard at work on awareness. The voluntary work it is doing is an enormous help. Agape House is a model for other countries in the care of AIDS victims. The Government has been both courageous and insightful in its public promotions and its support for condoms to combat AIDS. The advertising world of Bermuda has been generous in donating its time to anti-AIDS campaigns. And we must not forget STAR which stood almost alone in the AIDS fight for far too long. In the list of those who have worked hard against AIDS we include this newspaper.

One thing which seems clear about this mysterious and often misunderstood disease is that it will not be defeated in a hurry. If that is the case, Bermuda is just beginning the fight against AIDS. It is, according to the theme of this year's World AIDS Day, "Time to ACT''.

Those working in the field believe that 2,500 Bermudians could be infected right now. We only have 60,000 people.