I appeciate what you are saying, Carla, but I don't think it's right to minimise the danger of HIV. It's very serious and on the increase. It's too early yet to know how many people etc who have HIV will go on to have AIDS, but it is, at present, an incurable condition that can be passed from person to person.

It's wrong to tell people that HIV and AIDS is only something gay people are drug addicts need to worry about. That misinformation is causing HIV to spread amongst heterosexuals.

The reasons gay people are more likely to have HIV is because they didn't use condoms in the 70's and 80's, anal sex increases risk of blood contact, and some had more partners than straight people, who may have been using a condom because of the risk of pregnancy.

And one reason HIV spreads in Africa is the same as why they have lots of children - they are reluctant to use contraception. Married men are also not always faithful and pass HIV to their wives and children.

HIV and AIDS is an illness that everyone needs to take seriously and not dismiss as a disease that only homosexuals or drug addicts need to think about. Women especially have to take this seriously because they have increased risk of catching HIV the first time they have unprotected sex because the semen goes into their reproductive system.

We need to increasing efforts to educate young people, and people in general, about the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases and how inadequate modern contraception is in protecting people against them.