Minister Paiwang Konyak addresses launching programme of Intensified IEC Campaign 2.0 in Kohima on August 12. (Morung Photo)
Intensified HIV awareness drive across 17 districts launched
Our Correspondent
Kohima | August 12
Nagaland’s HIV epidemic has shown a steady decline over the past few years, according to data from the Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre (ICTC) programme.
However, Health and Family Welfare Minister P. Paiwang Konyak said the state continues to have the second-highest HIV prevalence rate in India, with 1.37% among the adult population (15–49 years). He was speaking at the launch of the Intensified IEC Campaign 2.0 at the NBCC Convention Centre here on Monday.
The minister said the epidemic in Nagaland is driven primarily by unprotected sex with an infected person, which accounts for 85% of cases. Transmission through the injecting route using infected needles and syringes stands at 8.7%, while mother-to-child transmission from infected parents not on treatment is at 5.4%.
As of June 2025, a total of 15,323 people living with HIV (PLHIV) are on anti-retroviral therapy/treatment (ART) in the state, he informed.
Konyak also highlighted that Nagaland is among the few states in India to have established Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) centres in all district hospitals, as well as in some CHCs, PHCs, wellness centres, and NGOs. Currently, 64 OST centres provide treatment to more than 10,000 injecting drug users across the state.
“The OST is part of a harm reduction approach to reduce the risk of contracting other infections due to drug use and to facilitate recovery,” he said.
Commissioner and Secretary for Health and Family Welfare Anoop Khinchi said HIV and other sexually transmitted infections remain a serious public health challenge in Nagaland. On behalf of the state government, he pledged “unwavering support through resources, policies, and partnerships to this cause.”
“Together, we can build a Nagaland where every person is informed, empowered, and treated with dignity,” he added.
With the formal launch of the Intensified IEC Campaign 2.0, the Nagaland State AIDS Control Society (NSACS), under the aegis of the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), will carry out a series of awareness activities on HIV and STI prevention and control across all 17 districts until October 12.
