THE number of people diagnosed with HIV each year in East Lancashire continues to rise.

Figures show the number of new HIV diagnoses in the north west has been falling overall, dropping from more than 700 new cases in 2005 to around 400 last year.

But the statistics in East Lancashire buck that trend, with 34 new cases of HIV and AIDS reported in 2008 across Blackburn with Darwen, the Ribble Valley, Pendle, Hyndburn, Burnley and Rossendale, compared to just 28 in 2007.

There are now 191 people in East Lancashire who are known to carry the virus, compared to 172 people 12 months previously.

The research, published by the North West HIV/AIDS Monitoring Unit based at the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University, is based on HIV-positive individuals accessing treatment in the region.

It reveals that last year there were 13 new cases of diagnosis in Blackburn with Darwen, six in Pendle, eight in Hyndburn, five in Burnley and two in Rossendale.

Blackburn and Darwen saw a slight drop, its figure falling from 15.

But Hyndburn saw a marked increase, with just one case in 2007 rising to the following year's tally of eight.

The research also shows that the majority of these new cases in East Lancashire involved people contracting the disease through heterosexual sex, with around 70 per cent of Blackburn with Darwen's cases affecting heterosexual people, in stark contrast to regional and national trends.

Professor Qutub Syed, director of the Health Protection Agency North West, said: "It is encouraging that more people with HIV infection are seeking treatment and care, but hugely disappointing that we are still seeing an increase in new cases.

"This would seem to imply that more people are putting themselves and their partners at risk by failing to be careful about their lifestyles.

"We and our partners at Liverpool John Moores University and elsewhere have tried very hard to get across the message that unprotected sex with new or multiple partners and the sharing of needles by drug users are high risk activities.

"We must now redouble our efforts to ensure that our advice is reaching vulnerable groups because HIV and other sexually-transmitted infections are avoidable and every new case of AIDS is a tragedy."

Vicky Sheard is deputy policy manager at The Terrence Higgins Trust, the UK's leading HIV and sexual health charity, which provides information and advice about HIV and sexual health with services including sexual health checks, counselling and support roups.

She said: "Nationally the two communities at greatest risk from becoming infected with HIV are gay men and people from black African communities, most of whom will have acquired HIV overseas and then been diagnosed here.

"In terms of who is most at risk we would say gay men are still the biggest group within the UK.

"But HIV does not discriminate."