HIV acrobat 'could have infected hundreds'

A circus acrobat accused of knowingly spreading HIV by having unprotected sex may have had hundreds of sexual partners, police say.

The case has sparked a national health alert, with authorities urging anyone who had unprotected sex with 32-year-old Godfrey Zaburoni to contact them and undergo an HIV test.

Queensland Health on Tuesday said Zaburoni had provided the names of 12 women with whom he'd had unprotected sex in Queensland, NSW and Victoria.

A further 18 people had come forward since inital alerts were broadcast, Queensland Health said.

But it warned there may be other cases, including elsewhere in Australia.

Queensland police have set up a task force to track down at-risk women.

To date, Zaburoni is facing only two charges, both relating to the infection of a Gold Coast woman.

He faced Southport Magistrates Court on Wednesday on one charge of causing grievous bodily harm and one charge of intending to cause grievous bodily harm. He was remanded in custody until June 9.

Gold Coast police later said the Zimbabwean-born Australian citizen, who has admitted to being HIV positive since 1997, may have had hundreds of sexual partners.

"There could well be many others," Detective Superintendent Dave Hutchinson told reporters, and urged anyone with concerns to get tested.

Asked if there could be hundreds of victims, Det Supt Hutchinson replied: "True."

"We're well aware of the fact that Mr Zaburoni has probably had unprotected sex with other people, we would like to identify those people," he said.

"He has had a number of relationships since he's been in Australia.

"From our investigations it's only females ... some of the women identified have been very short-term relationships.

"The health and welfare issues are the greatest consideration. We would want to speak to those ladies."

Det Supt Hutchinson said Zaburoni could face life in prison if he was convicted.

Queensland's chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said Zaburoni had spent a lot of time in Queensland since 2000, particularly the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.

She said authorities were alerted to the case last year, when a woman came forward and had been forced to make a public appeal.

"Unfortunately we've not been able to get enough details about the women he's had sex with to go to those women directly," Dr Young said.

"He's given us 12 names, we're starting with that. It's really about letting women know if they have had unprotected sex with him, they really should go and get tested."

Meanwhile, Zaburoni's friends, speaking outside the Southport Magistrates Court, said the arrest of their mate had shocked them and they did not know he was HIV positive.

Rob Gumbo, a student from Zimbabwe, said he met Zaburoni when he arrived on the Gold Coast and shared accommodation with him but never learned about his HIV status.

"It's traumatising. No one had any idea, I don't think he told anybody," he said.

"He was working here on the Gold Coast doing corporate shows - just gigs here and there."

Lochlainn Darroch said he and Zaburoni became friends after meeting at a Gold Coast nightclub.

"I was as shocked as everyone else (to learn he was HIV positive)," he said.

"He had a girlfriend in Sydney and obviously she'd be feeling how everyone else feels ..."