TWENTY years ago we were bombarded by the spectre of HIV and Aids.

Grim government television and poster advertising campaigns projected the condition as the modern day equivalent of the plague or Black Death which threatened the lives of every one of us.

Horrifying projections appeared to show that the shadow of the killer would spread through every part the country - unstoppable because there was no treatment to alleviate it.

Then it became clear that there were ways to lessen the risk of becoming HIV positive.

They didn't involve pharmaceuticals but changes in our attitudes and habits where sex was concerned.

Education campaigns worked and an apparently relentless increase in cases was halted.

But now it appears complacency has set in and reported cases of HIV and Aids are soaring again with East Lancashire recording some of the region's highest rises.

Health specialists say changes in government policy and NHS restructuring may also have something to do with people letting their guard slip and putting themselves at risk.

The terrible death toll in significant parts of Africa should be a warning of what can rapidly happen if sensible precautions are ignored. As one expert says "people need to wake up to a very serious situation."