Bermuda was this week urged to come to grips with the AIDS epidemic by a father who lost his son to the deadly disease.

In a heart-wrenching speech to Hamilton Rotarians, prominent local businessman Mr. Martin Smith gave hardcore facts about AIDS and described its impact on his family and the Island in general.

Mr. Smith's eldest son, Allan, was one of 175 people who have died of the disease since the first local case was reported in the early 1980s.

Since his son's death on September 18, 1991, Mr. Smith has shared his family's experience with schoolchildren, parent teacher associations, and "anybody else prepared to listen''.

And he explained why.

"I felt that I could not sit back and do nothing because Allan was a wonderful man who was articulate, witty, bright and helped many, many people from all stations of life regardless of their plight,'' Mr. Smith said.

"Initially after his death I thought I would devote my energies towards AIDS and the homosexual, but I quickly realised that the problem was much broader.

"I decided that I had to become involved in the overall AIDS programme, particularly when I realised the enormous increase in female HIV positive persons, some of whom had already given birth to children who had also tested positively.

"Having lost a son I couldn't stand by and let others suffer a similar fate without doing something about it. Allan would have wanted that.'' He said Government will shortly introduce legislation to make it a "severe'' offence to knowingly transmit the virus to an unsuspecting person, and to require doctors and other medical staff to notify their patients and the authorities whenever an HIV test is positive.

He said Bermuda should support this legislation unanimously.

As Mr. Smith spoke at the weekly luncheon at The Princess, Premier the Hon.

Sir John Swan officially endorsed World AIDS Day at City Hall.

Mr. Smith estimated that more than one million people worldwide had AIDS or the related virus -- and that excludes the 26 countries which do not report cases.

In Bermuda up to the end of October, he noted, 213 were reported to have AIDS.

He said a further 199 people had tested HIV positive.

Mr. Smith said that while 78.9 percent of those were males and 21.1 percent females, seven of the females had given birth to children who were born HIV positive but are now HIV negative.

"Apparently, we don't know why, those that have the virus appear to outgrow it by the age of two,'' he said. "I'm not qualified to comment.

"While it shows some ray of hope, the point is that they don't get a second chance if they contract the virus again as adults.'' He noted that initially intravenous drug users were the predominant group affected, followed by the homosexual/bisexual group.

But he said: "It is alarming to see in recent years the increase in the category of sexual partners and others.'' Discussing the years leading up to his son's death, Mr. Smith said when Allan finally agreed to lift the lid on his secret, he received overwhelming support from his friends and employers.

Mr. Smith also praised staff at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and Agape House for showing compassion and giving "exemplary'' care.

But he stressed: "We need to get the message across to this community that this is a community problem that only the community can resolve.'' Mr. Smith said while Government was playing its part, "we as a community have got to accept that these afflicted people are not criminals or outcasts or people with social stigmas, but are in fact ordinary human beings entitled to love, affection, compassion and understanding.

"We must extend to them the hand of friendship even though, for a moment perhaps, they have had a lapse of personal responsibility which is, in fact, costing them their lives.

Mr. Smith's family and several others from throughout the community have joined forces and created an organisation to assist persons with AIDS, persons living with AIDS, persons HIV positive and others at risk.

The Allan Vincent Smith Foundation, which was officially launched on Tuesday, will follow the objectives of the Terrence Higgins Trust -- the UK's leading AIDS service organisation which was set up in 1983 in memory of the British MP who died at a time when AIDS was hardly understood and the needs of those who succumbed to it were barely met.

Directors have applied for the foundation to become a registered charity and hope to have that granted this month.

Mr. Smith said the foundation's mission was "to support, educate and advise the people of Bermuda on AIDS and HIV and to prevent their spread through the active distribution and dissemination of materials and information to all groups deemed to be at risk''.

The directors, who see the foundation as complimentary to STAR, the Hospice Trust, Agape House, the hospital, and other AIDS-support groups, hope to initiate many different services including education, information services, counselling and support services.

Stressing that AIDS knows no boundaries, Mr. Smith said: "It doesn't matter whether you're black or white, rich or poor, all are potential victims.

"We've got to get our heads out of the sand and recognise the realities that are around us.'' MR. MARTIN SMITH -- `Bermuda must come to grips with the AIDS epidemic'.