Arushi Bidhuri
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Written By: Arushi Bidhuri | Updated : September 1, 2021 2:12 PM IST
Mizoram Records 443 Deaths Due To AIDS
Drug trafficking has been a menace in the State for decades and a cause of concern for the government. Apart from unsafe sex, substance misuse is emerging as another key avenue for the possibly life-threatening disease in the state, which is causing significant alarm. The fact that the percentage of HIV infections caused by drug use has increased indicates the severity of the situation. HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that affects cells in the body that help it fight infections, making a person more susceptible to other infections and diseases. It is disseminated by coming into contact with a person who has HIV's body fluids.
As per the statistical handbook Mizoram 2020, 2,339 people were diagnosed with AIDS during 2019-2020, out of which 443 succumbed to death due to the complications of AIDS. In 2018-19, 2,237 people were diagnosed with HIV, with 716 of them dying because of the disease.
According to the State Economics and Statistics Department's handbook, 51,691 blood samples were examined in 2019-2020, compared to 65,615 in 2018-2019. According to the National AIDS Control Organization, Mizoram has the dubious distinction of having the highest AIDS prevalence in the country, with 2.32 per cent of its total 10.91 lakh people (2011 census) affected with the disease. The report suggests the AIDS occurrence rate was highest among adolescents aged 25 to 34, with 42.59 per cent, followed by adults aged 35 to 49, with 26.49 per cent.
As per the Mizoram State AIDS Control Society (MSACS), 23,092 persons were diagnosed with AIDS, including 1,972 pregnant women, and 2,877 people died as a result of the disease from October 1990 to September 2020. More than 78 per cent of HIV-positive cases in the state were transmitted sexually, while over 20% were transferred by intravenous drug users exchanging needles.
As per the Centers for Disease Control And Prevention, if an HIV-negative individual uses injection equipment that has previously been used by someone with HIV, the risk of contracting or spreading HIV is quite high. This is because of the possibility that the needles, syringes, or other injection equipment contain blood, which might carry HIV. HIV can live for up to 42 days in a discarded syringe, depending on temperature and other conditions.
People who share needles, syringes, or other injecting equipment run the risk of contracting viral hepatitis. People who inject drugs should talk to their doctors about having a hepatitis B and C blood test and a hepatitis A and B vaccination.
People who inject drugs are at risk for HIV and viral hepatitis, as well as other major health issues like skin infections and heart infections. People can potentially overdose and become very sick or die if they have too many drugs or too much of one substance in their bodies, or if they have goods mixed with the drugs without their knowledge.
(with inputs from agencies)
