You would not know it from her appearance. And that is exactly her point.

Slender, spirited, her skin clear and hair stylishly braided, Mrs. Debbie Thomas is one of an estimated 17 million people in the world who carry the AIDS virus.

Practising safe sex is the one message with which the full-time HIV educator strives to inoculate every person she meets -- no matter what their age.

"Talking abstinence to a lot of teens is just not where they are at,'' said Mrs. Thomas, who carries a suitcase of condoms to all her appointments. Then there are those who stubbornly believe that despite being sexually active, they do not risk being infected with HIV.

"People do not realise how easy the disease is spread,'' she said. "They tend to think that for some reason they are excluded. Black and white women think they are not at risk because they do not use drugs.

"The biggest problem today in the AIDS fight is teaching people it's not who they are but what they do. If you have unprotected sex you are at risk. The truth of the matter is HIV is a sexually transmitted disease.'' Mrs. Thomas believes it is vital for parents talk to their kids about sex and promote condom use.

She recalled a recent talk she gave to a group of girl scouts aged 10-12.

Their troop leaders had forbidden her to bring up condoms. But when it came to the question and answer period, the girls had asked about everything from vaginal and anal sex to the female condom.

"The troop leaders sat there with their mouths open,'' she said. "We need to talk to our kids realistically and come down off our pedestals like we never did those things.'' Mrs. Thomas tested HIV-positive in 1985 having been part of several risk groups.

She used to shoot up heroin, had a bisexual lover and received a blood transfusion in the 1970s. Her husband, who has since died, also tested HIV-positive although it was not clear who contracted it first.

Instead of letting it get her down, the Atlanta resident turned what many view as a death sentence into something positive.

She spearheads the Georgia Women Preventing AIDS Campaign and founded Positive People, a computer dating service for HIV positive people which also offers AIDS education, risk reduction advice, training and counselling. On top of that, she runs a referral service called Progressive Health for people seeking treatment for drug and alcohol addiction.

And she is in the process of starting Willing Workers Inc., a temporary employment and job training agency for HIV-positive people which is not Government supported.

Work keeps the spirits up, she says.

She also helps her suppressed immune system by getting proper rest, eating well, meditating, praying and by not drinking liquor, smoking cigarettes or using drugs. She does not take AZT or any other medicines and has suffered few illnesses since being diagnosed with HIV -- her last was a minor stroke in January.

A lot has to do with your mental state, she said, adding she had been drug free for a year when she learned she had the AIDS virus.

Mrs. Thomas flew in on Saturday to take part in Bermuda's World AIDS Day activities which include a number of parent/teen forums this week.

Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan will mark the day with a proclamation from the steps of City Hall at noon on Thursday.

Latest statistics show 287 local residents have been diagnosed with AIDS and 239 of that number have died of it. An additional 191 have tested HIV positive but have so far not gone on to develop AIDS.