ZODIN SANGA
AIZAWL, April 1: With 1.19 per
cent testing positive for HIV
among pregnant women whose
blood samples have been tested,
Mizoram has recorded the highest
rate of HIV among pregnant
women, according to NACO’s latest
findings.
According to Mizoram State
Aids Control Society (MSACS) officials,
the percentage of HIV prevalence
among pregnant women in Mizoram is the highest in India,
higher than the national average
of 0.28 per cent. They said no other
State has crossed one per cent.
Another Northeastern State –
Nagaland follows Mizoram with
0.82 per cent.
A source in MSACS said Tamil
Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka and
Andhra Pradesh that used to have
high prevalence of HIV have witnessed
significant decline while the
HIV rate is increasing in Mizoram.
Five districts of Mizoram – Aizawl,
Champhai, Kolasib, Lunglei and
Mamit – also figure in the top 20
“key population districts” or the
districts with highest population of
high risk groups among the Northeastern
States. Of these, Aizawl,
Champhai and Kolasib are in the
top three, the source added.
The study was conducted during
April 2015 to September 2017.
During this period, 620 HIV cases
were detected in Kolasib in Aizawl
district, the highest among the
eight districts in Mizoram. The
study attributed this to the fact that
Aizawl is a key population district
which means that it has high
number of injecting drug users and
commercial sex workers.
The highest number of HIV positives
found during this period are
aged between 25-35, followed by 35-
49 age group and 15-24 age group.
Unprotected sex is the commonest
mode of HIV transmission
in Mizoram with 64.1 per cent,
followed by sharing of syringes
with 33.4 per cent.
What has worried HIV activists
is that the rate of HIV among injecting
drug users has increased
during the last three years. The
rate of transmission through sexual
intercourse is said to be static
during this period.
Meanwhile, Mizoram Government
has recorded 322 AIDS related
deaths between April 1, 2017
and mid- March this year, Health
Minister Lal Thanzara has recently
informed the Assembly.
In the year 2014-2015, a record
number of 569 HIV related deaths
was recorded.
Mizoram SACS has started testing
blood randomly from 2013, and
out of the 3,17,356 blood samples
tested, 7,641 were found HIV positive.
The first Mizoram case of HIV
was discovered or diagnosed in
1990. Sources from Mizoram SACS
said that the past two years have
seen a mini explosion of the disease
which had caused concerns among
not only the government but also
the NGOs and the churches.
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