The South Australian State Government says twelve men may have contracted HIV from Stuart McDonald, a gay man now detained for recklessly endangering his sexual partners. News of the case has alarmed HIV experts, who have called for a measured approach to the issue of people deliberatly spreading HIV. The new case comes after weeks of publicity about John Neal, a Melbourne man accused of organising ‘HIV conversion' parties. Allegations about McDonald were raised two years ago and the Health Department set up a group of experts to manage him. But Health Minister John Hill was not told about McDonald until 16th March, and immediately notified police, who are investigating the possibility of criminal charges. "I think the public has a right to be protected from somebody who's recklessly endangering lives by spreading HIV/AIDS and so as soon as I heard, we took action,” he said. Hill also said he was advised not to tell the public three weeks ago because of fears McDonald could disappear. A telephone hotline has been established for anyone who may have come into contact with McDonald. His HIV victims may seek compensation. The Adelaide Magistrates Court was told that "he was indicating a reckless, if not callous, disregard for members of the community, in particular sexual partners". He was also dismissive about potentially infecting other men, saying "that's their problem". Hill linked McDonald to a dozen people carrying the HIV virus but said he may be responsible for infecting only one person. "There are a number of people who appear to be infected with the same strain of the HIV virus. The number is around 10 or 12," Hill said. "He (McDonald) may well have infected one (person) and then that person went on and infected others, so we've got to be careful about those kind of statements. Steve Wesselingh, director of the Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health, said politicisation of the HIV spreading issue across two states could lead to rash policy decisions that drove people away from health practitioners. "There are a small number of people who behave very badly and we have to deal with that," he said. "But the more we drive them away from health professionals, the harder they will be to deal with. "A response we're very worried about is people saying, 'I don't want to get tested, I don't have to tell anyone and then police can't arrest me'. If you don't know someone's HIV positive, then you can't manage them. The consequence of that is more HIV." National Association for People Living With AIDS spokesman Paul Kidd said that the vast majority of people living with HIV were taking every step possible to keep others free from the virus. Ref: The Age, News.com.au (m)