Nagaland launches campaign to take on country's second-highest HIV prevalence rate

Kohima, Aug 12 (PTI) A two-month awareness campaign on AIDS was launched on Tuesday in Nagaland, which has the second highest HIV-prevalence rate in the country.

Launching the two-month campaign, Health Minister P Paiwang Konyak said that while the epidemic is showing a steady decline, still 1.37 per cent of the adult population (15-49 years) of the state is affected by it.

"Transmission is primarily through unprotected sex (85 per cent), followed by injecting drug use (8.7 per cent), and from infected parents to unborn children (5.4 per cent)," he said, citing official data.

As of June, 15,323 people living with HIV are receiving anti-retroviral treatment in the state, he said.

Konyak said the campaign must become a movement where "knowledge travels faster than disease, hope travels farther than fear, and action speaks louder than ignorance".

He said the campaign would reach communities across Nagaland, both urban and rural, spreading not just information, but hope.

Health Secretary Anoop Khinchi said the campaign would focus on promoting safe practices, reducing stigma, and encouraging testing and treatment.

Nagaland State AIDS Control Society (NSACS) Project Director Ahu Sekhose said the campaign will cover 520 schools, 110 colleges, and 520 villages, targeting 5,200 households through folk shows, flash mobs, awareness sessions, and community outreach programmes.

"The campaign will also raise awareness on the HIV and AIDS Prevention and Control Act 2017, prevention among pregnant women, and available services such as testing, STI treatment, condoms, and the national AIDS helpline (1097)," he said.

Kohima College's Red Ribbon Club member Mezhutuonuo-u Thira called for "breaking the silence and removing stigma" around HIV AIDS, stressing that young people must lead the fight.

The campaign will culminate on October 12, 2025, with the aim of ensuring that no one in Nagaland is left uninformed or unsupported.

The event organised by NSACS on International Youth Day was attended by students from 66 institutions, including colleges, universities, and schools. PTI NBS NBS SOM