Over 5,600 lives lost to AIDS in Mizoram since 1990

More than 5,600 people have died of AIDS in Mizoram since the first case of HIV was detected in the state in October 1990, according to the Mizoram State AIDS Control Society (MSACS). 

Speaking at a World AIDS Day programme on Monday, MSACS project director Jane R. Ralte said that a total of 33,641 people have been infected with HIV in the state so far. 

She noted that although the cumulative toll remains high, the death rate has declined steadily due to improved medical interventions and wider access to Antiretroviral Therapy (ART).

Ralte said that between April 2024 and October 2025 alone, 3,117 new HIV-positive cases were detected, including 911 women and 167 pregnant women. She said that sexual transmission accounts for 70.03 per cent of total infections, while 27.3 per cent are attributed to intravenous drug use through shared needles. Mother-to-child transmission represents 1.8 per cent of cases, and 0.74 per cent were infected from unknown sources.

Among sexually transmitted infections, 53.3 per cent were contracted from regular partners or spouses, 34.3 per cent from non-regular partners, 7.7 per cent from homosexual, bisexual or same-sex intimacy, and 2.5 per cent from commercial partners. Ralte added that the state currently operates 14 ART centres, including four in Aizawl.

Addressing the gathering, Assembly Speaker Lalbiakzama said the state government is taking sustained measures to prevent further growth in HIV incidence. Presiding over the function, Health and Family Welfare Department principal director Dr. Lalthlengliani highlighted Mizoram’s progress in HIV treatment and the urgency for renewed community engagement to strengthen prevention and control efforts.