The HIV/AIDS adult (15 to 49 years) prevalence rate in two northeastern states -- Mizoram and Nagaland is much higher than the national prevalence rate of 0.20 per cent, officials said on Tuesday.

According to the data of National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate in Mizoram is 2.73 per cent and in Nagaland is 1.37 per cent.

The HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate in the two northeastern states is also much higher than other 33 states and Union Territories.

As per the data of the NACO, after Mizoram and Nagaland, the HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate in four other northeastern states -- Manipur (0.87 per cent), Meghalaya (0.43 per cent), Tripura (0.37 per cent) and Arunachal Pradesh (0.25 per cent) are also higher than the national prevalence rate of 0.20 per cent.

The HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate in Sikkim (0.11 per cent) and Assam (0.13 per cent) are less than the national average.

Amid Mizoram recording the highest HIV prevalence rate in the country at 2.73 per cent, state's Health Minister Lalrinpuii during a meeting of the Mizoram Legislative Forum on AIDS described the situation as a cause for concern and called for stronger action from legislators to tackle the epidemic.

The Mizoram Legislative Forum on AIDS is a high level body of lawmakers tasked with to curb HIV/AIDS prevalence and generate awareness among the people.

The Minister said Mizoram's infection rate was far higher than the national average of 0.20 per cent, urgently requiring measures to curb the trend.

She stressed the importance of regular blood testing and strict adherence to Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) medication to maintain good health.

Lalrinpuii also called for the effective utilisation of Drop-in Centres to support people living with HIV/AIDS.

Mizoram State AIDS Control Society (MSACS) Project Director Jane R. Ralte presented an overview of the state's HIV scenario.

She said that till January this year, a total of 32,287 people in Mizoram had tested positive for HIV, with 5,511 recorded deaths.

Between April 2024 and January 2025 alone, 1,769 new cases were detected, Ralte said, adding that 67 per cent of the new infections recorded during this period were caused by unprotected sex, while 30.44 per cent resulted from the sharing of unsterilised syringes.

Notwithstanding the severity of the prevalence rate of the contagious disease, she said that Mizoram has started to see some positive trends, with a decline in new infections and a significant reduction in HIV-related fatalities.

The MLAs who attended the meeting, asserting their commitment to strengthening the fight against HIV/AIDS, agreed to allocate Rs 50,000 each from their MLA local area funds for 2024-2025.

The amount will be handed over to MSACS to ensure that HIV/AIDS positive individuals can access uninterrupted antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment.

In Nagaland, according to the Economic Survey 2023-24, a total of 26,419 HIV-positive patients were registered in the Antiretroviral Therapy Centre (ARTC), of which 21,110 were on ART, while a total of 3,116 patients who were on ART had died.

It also reported that a total of 6,205 males, 6,332 females, 12 transgender/transsexual individuals, and 748 children, including 370 girls, who are HIV positive are alive and on ART.

As per the recent India HIV Estimates report, around 25,44,364 people are living with HIV in India, but thanks to concerted efforts, the adult HIV prevalence is at 0.2 per cent and estimated annual new HIV infections are at around 66,400.

New annual HIV infections have decreased by 44 per cent since 2010, outperforming the global reduction rate of 39 per cent.

*Agency Report.