statistics released by the Health Department.

But latest figures show an increase in the number of cases involving homosexual men.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Cann said there had been 12 new cases of AIDS so far this year, while there were 13 new cases during the first half of last year.

Statistics showed the percentage of AIDS cases involving intravenous drug users had gone down.

The number of AIDS cases has steadily declined since 1995, Government said.

But homosexual sex was the leading risk factor in new cases, added Dr. Cann.

The official figures showed homosexual/bisexual contact accounted for half the new AIDS cases, heterosexual contact contributed to four new reports of AIDS and one person contracted the disease through intravenous drug use.

One of the 12 new AIDS cases was a child, the figures showed. Seven of the latest victims were in the 30-49 age group, two were in the 50-59 age range, one involved a victim in their twenties and one was in the 60-69 group.

Eight of the cases were males and four of the cases were women.

The latest statistics mean 412 AIDS cases have now been reported in Bermuda -- and 320 of these have died.

Forty-eight percent of all cases have involved intravenous drug users, 29 percent were homosexual or bisexual men, and 23.1 percent were heterosexuals.

HOSPITAL HOS