Source:\u00a0healthissuesindia.com<\/p>\n
Mizoram leads India\u2019s states and union territories in HIV\/AIDS burden, recording the country\u2019s highest prevalence of the disease as the state diagnoses nine people every day.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The state\u00a0records a HIV\/AIDS prevalence of 2.04 percent, the highest in the country. 17,897 people are infected with HIV in Mizoram \u2013 the highest figure in the country.\u00a0In the 2018-19 period alone, 2,557 new cases were detected. In a state with a population of ten lakh \u2013 significantly lower than the majority of other states, officials have termed this \u201cextremely high.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to the Mizoram State AIDS Control Society (MCAS),\u00a067.21 percent of HIV cases in the state are transmitted sexually. 28.12 percent are transmitted by intravenous drug use.\u00a0Of demographics, \u201canalysis of the HIV positive cases confirmed at the testing centres show that people in the age group of 25-34 years are the most vulnerable in Mizoram followed by those in the age brackets of 35-49 years and 15-24 years,\u201d said MCAS project director Dr Lalthlengliani \u2013 noting that prevalence for these groups stands at 42.38 percent, 26.46 percent, and 23.03 percent respectively.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe present situation is indeed alarming,\u201d Chief Minister Zoramthanga commented earlier this year. \u201cWe all must work towards creating awareness on the disease and its treatment and prevention.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mizoram\u2019s prevalence of HIV\/AIDS is substantially higher than the national HIV\/AIDS prevalence,\u00a0which stands at just over 0.2 percent. Though the prevalence of HIV in India is relatively low compared to other nations, the country is nonetheless home to the third largest HIV\/AIDS epidemic in the world.\u00a0Whilst the country\u2019s HIV\/AIDS burden is substantial, cases in India have been falling, from 2.3 million in 2010 to 2.1 million in 2017.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In this trend,\u00a0Mizoram is an outlier \u2013 new infections have actually increased, in stark contrast to the national decrease of new HIV infections from 120,000 in 2010 to 88,000 in 2017.\u00a0It is one of five states where this is the case. To counteract the trend, outreach among vulnerable groups and ensuring the provision of essential treatments is vital.<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3228,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[52,2020,2337,2363,53],"class_list":["post-3227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aids-hiv","tag-hiv","tag-hiv-epidemic","tag-hiv-aids-3","tag-mizoram","tag-treatment"],"yoast_head":"\n