Pre-marriage HIV/AIDS test could be made mandatory in Meghalaya
She said an 'alarming' overview of the HIV/AIDS scenario in the State by the Meghalaya AIDS Control Society (MACS) had led the government to consider a new law to make such a test compulsory.
'We should have a set of laws like Goa to make pre-marriage HIV/AIDS test mandatory. This will benefit our communities,' Ms. Lyngdoh told journalists in the State's capital, Shillong.
On Thursday, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong chaired a meeting with the agenda of formulating a comprehensive HIV/AIDS policy. The Health Minister said her department was directed to prepare a Cabinet note for the policy.
She said the meeting was specific to the East Khasi Hills district, which recorded 3,432 HIV-positive cases in 2024, almost twice as many as the year before. Of these, only 1,581 were availing of anti-retroviral therapy (ART).
'We will hold meetings in other regions of the State to develop area-specific strategies in consultation with bureaucrats and medical professionals,' Ms. Lyngdoh said, pointing out that the number of positive cases was highest in the Jaintia Hills region.
'We must ensure that everyone who has been tested is brought into the treatment system because HIV/AIDS is not fatal if treated properly,' Ms. Lyngdoh said.
According to MACS, unprotected sex is the primary cause of transmission of the virus in the State.
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