Kohima: Nagaland has the second-highest adult HIV prevalence rate in India at 1.37 per cent. This number is significantly higher than the national average of 0.21 per cent, according to the India HIV Estimates 2023.
The statistics were highlighted by Anoop Khinchi, Commissioner and Secretary of Health & Family Welfare and Chairman of the Nagaland State AIDS Control Society (NSACS), while inaugurating the NSACS stall at Kisama on Monday as part of World AIDS Day observations.
According to Khinchi, the state is increasing efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3 Target 3.3 and meet the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets.
In October, Nagaland had 88 per cent for the first 95 (diagnosis), 79 per cent for the second 95 (treatment), and an impressive 98 per cent for the third 95 (viral suppression).
Khinchi is confident that the state would meet the global benchmarks by 2026.
However, he did warn that it would require the combined efforts of government agencies, communities, private organisations and faith-based groups.
Khinchi added that HIV infections are gradually shifting from traditional high-risk groups—such as people who inject drugs, female sex workers, MSMs, transgender people, migrants and prison inmates—to a broader at-risk population engaging in unsafe behaviour.
“HIV does not discriminate, and neither should we,” he said urging citizens to embrace testing, prevention and access to treatment.
NSACS Project Director Ahu Sekhose said , "Nagaland’s performance has improved significantly, rising from 19th to 8th place in NACO’s national rankings. He said the state is among six in the country on track to achieve the 95-95-95 targets, backed by strong performance across 50 indicators and five-star certification awarded to 38 Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres."
NNagaDAO president Abou Mere spoke of concerns about increasing infections among youth and the spread of the epidemic across all districts, while warning that “critical funding constraints” were affecting key intervention programmes. Echoing the need for stronger advocacy, NNP+ president Lanu Aier called for the revival of the Legislators’ Forum on AIDS, which was disbanded in 2020.