Nagaland Ranked Third in HIV Prevalence With Over 24K HIV Positive Cases

The number of HIV positive cases reported in Nagaland amounts to 24,039 since 1999. The state is ranked third after Mizoram and Manipur with the prevalence rate of 1.15 percent and 0.9 percent above the national HIV prevalence rate. The //data received from Nagaland State AIDS Control Society (NSACS) showed that in just five months (April 2018 to August 2018), 876 new cases were noticed in 11 districts out of 37,595 people tested, indicating an average of 175 new HIV cases per month.

Dimapur district had the maximum number of HIV infected individuals with 488 positive cases, followed by Kohima and Tuensang with 131 and 106 cases respectively. Around 54 new HIV cases reported in Mokokchung, 22 in Wokha, Kiphire and Peren with 17 each, Zunheboto 15, Phek 14 and Mon 12. Longleng was the only district that had no HIV positive cases out of 977 individuals tested for their blood.

The route of transmission of HIV for 90 percent of the individuals is through sexual contact. Ninety-one percent of the individuals tested positive for HIV belong to the age group of 15-49 years.

As per the cumulative figures reported in NSACS since 1999, out of 24, 039 HIV infected people, 17,315 persons living with HIV (PLHIV) had registered on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Among which 12,190 people had started with ART, whereas 1,609 have died and the remaining 7,663 are alive and on antiretroviral therapy(ART).



Source-Medindia