Mizoram tops HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate in India

KOHIMA: The HIV/AIDS adult (15 to 49 years) prevalence rate in two northeastern states—Mizoram and Nagaland—is much higher than the national prevalence rate of 0.20 percent, officials said on Tuesday. According to the data of the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), the HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate in Mizoram is 2.73 percent, and in Nagaland it is 1.37 percent.

The HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate in the two north-eastern states is also much higher than in the other 33 states and Union Territories.

As per the data of the NACO, after Mizoram and Nagaland, the HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rates in four other north-eastern states—Manipur (0.87 percent), Meghalaya (0.43 percent), Tripura (0.37 percent) and Arunachal Pradesh (0.25 percent)—are also higher than the national prevalence rate of 0.20 percent.

The HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rates in Sikkim (0.11 percent) and Assam (0.13 percent) are less than the national average.

Amid Mizoram recording the highest HIV prevalence rate in the country at 2.73 percent, the state’s Health Minister, Lalrinpuii, during a meeting of the Mizoram Legislative Forum on AIDS, described the situation as a cause for concern and called for stronger action from legislators to tackle the epidemic.

The Mizoram Legislative Forum on AIDS is a high-level body of lawmakers tasked with curbing HIV/AIDS prevalence and generating awareness among the people.

The minister said Mizoram’s infection rate was far higher than the national average of 0.20 percent, urgently requiring measures to curb the trend.

She stressed the importance of regular blood testing and strict adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) medication to maintain good health.

Lalrinpuii also called for the effective utilisation of drop-in centres to support people living with HIV/AIDS.

Mizoram State AIDS Control Society (MSACS) Project Director Jane R. Ralte presented an overview of the state’s HIV scenario.

She said that till January this year, a total of 32,287 people in Mizoram had tested positive for HIV, with 5,511 recorded deaths.

Between April 2024 and January 2025 alone, 1,769 new cases were detected, Ralte said, adding that 67 percent of the new infections recorded during this period were caused by unprotected sex, while 30.44 percent resulted from the sharing of unsterilized syringes.

Notwithstanding the severity of the prevalence rate of the contagious disease, she said that Mizoram has started to see some positive trends, with a decline in new infections and a significant reduction in HIV-related fatalities.

The MLAs who attended the meeting, asserting their commitment to strengthening the fight against HIV/AIDS, agreed to allocate Rs 50,000 each from their MLA local area funds for 2024-2025.

The amount will be handed over to MSACS to ensure that HIV/AIDS-positive individuals can access uninterrupted antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment.

In Nagaland, according to the Economic Survey 2023-24, a total of 26,419 HIV-positive patients were registered in the Antiretroviral Therapy Centre (ARTC), of which 21,110 were on ART, while a total of 3,116 patients who were on ART had died.

It also reported that a total of 6,205 males, 6,332 females, 12 transgender/transsexual individuals, and 748 children, including 370 girls, who are HIV positive are alive and on ART. (IANS)

Also Read: HIV Cases in Meghalaya Remain High, 80% Transmitted Through Heterosexual Contact

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