‘Unsafe sexual practices account for 68% of AIDS cases in Mizoram'
Aizawl:
Unsafe sexual practices
account for 68% of HIV/AIDS infections, while 30% cases stem from intravenous drug users (IDUs) sharing contaminated syringes and needles, said Dr Jane R. Ralte, project director of
Mizoram State AIDS Control Society
(MSACS),
During a meeting of the Lunglei District AIDS Prevention and Control Committee (DAPCC) on Monday, chaired by deputy commissioner Navneet Mann, Ralte advocated for HIV awareness education to commence at the middle school level.
She reported that in the 2025-2026 fiscal year, amongst 59,243 general HIV screenings, 1,851 individuals (3.12%) tested positive in Mizoram. Additionally, from 18,425 Antenatal Care (ANC) tests conducted, 106 cases (0.58%) were confirmed positive during the same period.
The meeting's reports indicated that in Lunglei district during 2025-2026, out of 6,373 general screenings, 128 people (1.93%) tested positive for HIV.
Of these, 84 contracted through sexual transmission and 38 through shared contaminated needles amongst IDUs. The ANC testing revealed 7 positive cases (0.37%) from 1,885 screenings. Age distribution of the 128 positive cases showed 55 individuals aged 25-34, 39 aged 35-49, 15 aged 15-24, and 14 above 50 years.
Lunglei district has witnessed a declining trend in HIV cases amongst both general and ANC clients since 2020-2021.
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Over the past 18 years since 2008, 2,156 HIV infections were recorded, with 1,473 individuals receiving Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), whilst 446 persons succumbed to full-blown AIDS.
Aizawl: Unsafe sexual practices account for 68% of HIV/AIDS infections, while 30% cases stem from intravenous drug users (IDUs) sharing contaminated syringes and needles, said Dr Jane R. Ralte, project director of Mizoram State AIDS Control Society (MSACS),
During a meeting of the Lunglei District AIDS Prevention and Control Committee (DAPCC) on Monday, chaired by deputy commissioner Navneet Mann, Ralte advocated for HIV awareness education to commence at the middle school level.
She reported that in the 2025-2026 fiscal year, amongst 59,243 general HIV screenings, 1,851 individuals (3.12%) tested positive in Mizoram. Additionally, from 18,425 Antenatal Care (ANC) tests conducted, 106 cases (0.58%) were confirmed positive during the same period.
The meeting's reports indicated that in Lunglei district during 2025-2026, out of 6,373 general screenings, 128 people (1.93%) tested positive for HIV.
Of these, 84 contracted through sexual transmission and 38 through shared contaminated needles amongst IDUs. The ANC testing revealed 7 positive cases (0.37%) from 1,885 screenings. Age distribution of the 128 positive cases showed 55 individuals aged 25-34, 39 aged 35-49, 15 aged 15-24, and 14 above 50 years.
Lunglei district has witnessed a declining trend in HIV cases amongst both general and ANC clients since 2020-2021. Over the past 18 years since 2008, 2,156 HIV infections were recorded, with 1,473 individuals receiving Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), whilst 446 persons succumbed to full-blown AIDS.
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