Campaigner Sheelagh Cooper has renewed her call for mandatory Aids testing in prisons after an alarming rise in infection rates across the Island.

New annual cases of HIV in Bermuda have nearly tripled since 2002 according to Government figures.

More than 300 people are now living with the disease but Aids workers estimate another 300 could be living with it in ignorance.

Mrs. Cooper, who heads the Coalition for the Protection of Children, said: "Fifteen years ago I tried to lobby to have mandatory Aids testing in prison because the rate of Aids in prison is typically much higher than the rate in the general population, worldwide, because you have a drug using population."

She said she had a big battle with Government, but that they flatly refused.

"To me that's just pure insanity because they could be treatable and have a bigger chance of making it for a longer period, and also if they know they have it there's a big deterrent.

"If they know they have it and have sex with someone they can be prosecuted for it. If they don't they can't, so let's find out. Especially if they are in prison for rape.

"In prison, and I know they don't want to talk about this in Bermuda but it is obviously the case in every male prison in the world, Aids is passed on. A prison population is a cauldron of opportunity for the Aids virus to spread."

A prison spokesman confirmed mandatory HIV testing of inmates was not done within Bermuda's facilities, following guidelines set out by the World Health Organisation (WHO) which said compulsory testing of prisoners for HIV was unethical and ineffective and should be prohibited.

The spokesman added: "We have voluntary informed testing with consent, counselling and ongoing educational sessions for inmates and staff.

"All inmates are assessed for risk on reception and offered testing and counselling if they choose."

Mrs. Cooper said Bermuda was guilty of double standards. "Every woman giving birth in Bermuda is tested for Aids. It's a routine test you don't even know you are being tested but you are. One could argue that is a violation of human rights.

"But yet when I suggest they do this for inmates the response was it would be a violation of human rights.

"You can't have it both ways. My guess is the real reason for not testing is if they find an inmate with the virus they will be obligated to treat them which is very expensive."

But the long-term effects of letting the virus spread were much more costly, said Mrs. Cooper, both financially and emotionally on families who would lose loved ones to the incurable virus.

Senior Medical Officer Brenda Davidson said universal antenatal testing for HIV has been in place in Bermuda since 1988 under the Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission WHO programme.

She said: "The objective is to identify mothers who are HIV positive so that medical interventions can be offered during pregnancy in order to significantly reduce the chance of the infant being infected at birth."

Dr. Davidson added that HIV testing was mandatory in that it is a required part of routine screening, and will be done unless the client indicates that she does not wish to be tested.

But Mrs. Cooper said consistency of policy was needed given the extent of the problem.

Late last year the Health Ministry said new HIV diagnoses were affecting everyone young adults, middle-agers and seniors, males and females, professionals and non-professionals and Bermudians and non-Bermudians alike. Sexual contact was by far the major transmission risk.

There have been more than 700 HIV infections and more than 400 Aids-related deaths in Bermuda since 1982.

Mrs. Cooper added: "If you are going to fight Aids long-term you must do it on all the different levels that you can.

"I think many people have become very complacent because of the modern treatment, many people think you can be cured now.

"It's true your life can be prolonged enormously but you are not going to be cured and your quality of life is going to be substantially reduced and shortened dramatically.

"And there's an enormous cost to the Country and everyone who crosses your path who can get infected."

She said Bermuda's increasing HIV infection rate was a symptom of its denial of the problem.

"Bermudians are in denial about Aids, it goes along with their homophobia, the religious belief that homosexuality is a sin."

She said it would help if those who were dying of Aids were open about what was killing them, to keep it in the minds of those who needed reminding.

"How can you address a problem you don't have?"

What do you think? E-mail news@royalgazette.bm with your views. Should there be mandatory testing in prisons? Does more need to be done to raise awareness about Aids. Let us know what you think.